By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 6, 2007
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., March 5 (AP) — They could not hide the tears when
they spoke of leaving their families. Yet three Olympic gold medalists
who defected from Cuba said they were ready to begin new lives in a new
country as professional boxers.
"We have a commitment with the people of Miami and the people of Cuba,
it's true — to become world champions," the flyweight Yan Barthelemy
said in Spanish during the group's first official news conference since
arriving in the United States on Friday.
Fans will have to wait a bit longer for their first professional fights
because a two-month delay in obtaining United States travel visas left
the three "a little out of shape," according to their Miami-based
manager, Tony Gonzalez.
"They've asked for about six weeks to train, so we're looking at around
April 13," he said.
Odlanier Solis, a 26-year-old heavyweight; Yuriorkis Gamboa, a
25-year-old super bantamweight; and Barthelemy, 27, stole away from
their hotel in December while training in Venezuela for this summer's
Pan American Games.
They crossed into Colombia but hit a snag until they could prove that
they were not planning to move permanently to the United States and that
they planned to reside in Germany. Each fighter has signed a three-year,
seven-figure contract with the Hamburg-based First Artist and Arena,
Gonzalez said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/sports/othersports/06cubans.html
No comments:
Post a Comment