Julio La Cruz loses split decision to Loren Alfonso, ending quest for third Olympic gold
Julio Cesar La Cruz’s quest to become the third Cuban boxer to win three Olympic gold medals came to an end Sunday at the hands of another boxer who was born in the island nation. La Cruz lost a 3-2 decision to unseeded Cuba-born Azerbaijani Loren Alfonso in the 2024 Summer Olympics men’s heavyweight (92 […]
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Julio Cesar La Cruz’s quest to become the third Cuban boxer to win three Olympic gold medals came to an end Sunday at the hands of another boxer who was born in the island nation.
La Cruz lost a 3-2 decision to unseeded Cuba-born Azerbaijani Loren Alfonso in the 2024 Summer Olympics men’s heavyweight (92 kilogram) round of 16 at Arena Paris Nord in France. It was a stunning exit for the 34-year-old La Cruz, who won the light heavyweight gold in 2016 and heavyweight gold at the Tokyo Games, and seemed destined to join fellow Cubans Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon in that exclusive group of Olympic super achievers.
The two showed mutual respect for one another, embracing in a hug at the referee’s final instructions. La Cruz appeared to be the quicker of the two though the 29-year-old Alfonso, a light heavyweight bronze medalist at the 2020 Olympics, had a height and reach advantage that helped him get to the target. Alfonso landed his first meaningful punch midway through the first, a right hand counter as La Cruz lingered one second too long in an exchange. Alfonso showed he was not overawed by La Cruz as he played to the crowd after moving out of the way of a volley of punches, and landed a counter right off the ropes to end the round.
Alfonso continued to have success in the second, using his reach to time La Cruz from distance with counter right hands. La Cruz came out with a more aggressive stance in the third, firing a strong jab that snapped Alfonso’s head back, but missed opportunities to score on the taller boxer by resting in close. La Cruz continued to press the action while Alfonso looked for pull back counters with his right hand.
The two embraced once more after the decision, which showed Alfonso winning 29-28 on three scorecards, while the other two had it 30-27 and 29-28 for La Cruz.
La Cruz’s loss leaves middleweight Arlen Lopez as the lone Cuban with a chance to earn a third gold medal this year. Lopez will begin his campaign on Tuesday, July 30 when he face Turkey’s Kaan Aykutsun in the men’s 80kg round of 16. Aykutsun scored a stunner on the opening day of the boxing competition when he beat Salvatore Cavallaro of Italy by a 4-1 decision.
Alfonso, who also won gold at the 2021 World Championships and 2019 European Games, will face Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay, the 2022 Asian Championships gold medalist, in the quarterfinals round on Thursday, August 1.
Alfonso’s win is the second for an Azerbaijan based Cuban over a Cuban boxer at the Olympics in the last three Olympiads, as Lorenzo Sotomayor scored a unanimous decision over Yasnier Toledo in the light welterweight quarterfinal at the Rio Games in 2016.
The United States moved to 2-0 so far at the Olympics as Roscoe Hill won a 5-0 decision over Iran born refugee boxer Omid Ahmadisafa in the men’s 51kg round of 32.
Hill, 29, of Spring, Tex. weathered a super aggressive start from Ahmadisafa before he started to use his range and speed to land counters of his own. Hill found the target with counter right hands off his shoulder roll but Ahmadisafa never stopped pressing forward, as his nonstop attack and awkward offense earned him a slight 3-2 edge in the second round, making up some ground after he lost the first round on all five scorecards. Hill began using his check hook to turn away the lunges of Ahmadisafa, and had to pull out all of his footwork skills to create angles to counter punch opportunities.
Hill will return to action on Tuesday, July 30 when he faces France’s Billal Bennama in the men’s 51-kg round of 16.
Full Results
Men’s 51kg round of 32
Roscoe Hill (USA) 5-0 Omid Ahmadisafa (EOR)
Men’s 71kg round of 32
Rami Mofid Kiwan (BUL) 5-0 Damian Durkacz (POL)
Makan Traore (FRA) 4-0 Aidan Walsh (IRL)
Zeyad Eashash (JOR) 3-2 Aslanbek Shymbergenov (KAZ)
Men’s 92kg round of 16
Aibek Oralbay (KAZ) 5-0 Olaitan Adam Olaore (NGR)
Enmanuel Reyes Pla (ESP) 4-1 Han Xuezhen (CHN)
Victor Schelstraete (BEL) 5-0 Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali (SAM)
Loren Alfonso (AZE) 3-2 Julio Cesar la Cruz (CUB)
Lazizbek Mullojonov (UZB) 4-1 Aziz Abbes Moudiidine (ITA)
Women’s 50kg round of 32
Zareen Nikhat (IND) 5-0 Maxi Carina Kloetzer (GER)
Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria (COL) 5-0 Yesugen Oyuntsetseg (MGL)
Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) 4-1 Giordana Sorrentino (ITA)
Fatima Herrera (MEX) 3-2 Laura Fuertes Fernandez (ESP)
Women’s 66kg round of 32
Aneta Rygielska (POL) 3-2 Rosie Eccles (GBR)
Anna Luca Hamori (HUN) 4-1 Grainne Walsh (IRL)
Men’s 57kg round of 32
Nebil Ibrahim (SWE) 5-0 Wasim Abusal (PLE)
Boxers to watch for on Monday, June 29
Harry Garside (AUS), the 27-year-old southpaw from Mooroolbark, Australia, was a 2020 silver medalist, bowing out against eventual gold medalist Andy Cruz in the semifinals. He faces Richard Kovacs of Hungary in the men’s 63.5kg round of 16 at 6:20 a.m. ET.
Bakhodir Jalolov (UZB) has a 14-0 (14 knockouts) pro record, but the 6’7” Big Uzbek is back looking to earn a second straight Olympic super heavyweight gold medal as he faces Norway’s Omar Shiha in the round of 16 at 11:06 a.m. ET.
Jajaira Gonzalez (USA) opened eyes with her dominant win over 2016 gold medalist Estelle Mossely in the opening round, now she has to get past 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist Beatriz Ferreira, the Brazilian who beat her in the semis of that tournament, in the women’s 60kg round of 16 at 2:32 p.m. ET.
Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) has won three world championships gold but his best finish at the Olympics was a silver medal eight years ago in Rio. Can the 29-year-old finally get that elusive Olympic gold? He faces Jordan’s Obada Alkasbeh in the men’s 63.5kg round of 16 at 10:02 a.m. ET.
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