Cuban boxers to train in China

HAVANA - Four Cuban boxers will begin training in China this week in preparation for the 2013 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan in October and the World Series of Boxing the following month, a sports official said Tuesday.

Eduardo Limonta, secretary of the Cuban Boxing Federation, said the team is headed by 18-year-old heavyweight Yoandy Toirac, who is considered the promising star of Cuban boxing in the 91kg plus category.

Toirac won the gold medal at the Cordova Cardin Memorial Tournament in Cuba this year, defeating China's Zhang Zhilei, runner-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The small Cuban delegation also includes Leinier Pero, in the 91kg category, Ramon Luis (75kg) and Arisnoides Despaigne (69kg), according to the website of Radio Habana Cuba.

Limonta said the team will stay "in Beijing for 16 days, preparing for the year's main events".

"We've already had similar experiences in China, where we'll make the most of fights against several of the top boxers they have in the large divisions," Limonta added.

Cuba's boxing squad features 36 pre-selected boxers with the main goal this year of doing well at the Kazakhstan world championships and the world series.

The squad will also face Mexico's Guerreros (Warriors) on August 29 and 30, prior to the world series, and participate in the Pan-American Championship in Chile from Aug 27 to Sept 3.

Cuba's boxers have garnered 67 Olympic medals and 116 titles in world championships.