Guantanamo.- Julio César Chivás secured a bronze medal at the U19 Boxing World Championship in Budva, Montenegro, marking him as the sole medalist for the Cuban delegation.
Despite a strong effort, he was defeated in the semifinals by Uzbek fighter SardOrbek Bakhromkhujaev, which ultimately earned him a valuable bronze for Cuba, who sent a team of four boxers, including two men and two women.
The semifinal bout began poorly for Chivás, who lost the first round 0-5 due to an insecure performance that strayed from his coaches’ strategies. However, he managed to improve in the second round, although the judges awarded the round 4-1 to his opponent.
Coach Michel Lugo noted that while Chivás started strong in the final round, he lost momentum, allowing Bakhromkhujaev to capitalize and win the round 3-2.
Earlier in the tournament, Chivás achieved notable victories, defeating Ukrainian Hlieb Kvach by unanimous decision in the round of 16 and winning 4-1 against local fighter Matija Roganovic in the quarterfinals, where he even scored a knockdown.
Unfortunately, his exit marked the end of Cuba’s participation, as other competitors, including Iverson Acosta and female boxers Liyanet Benítez and Yenisel Durruty, also faced defeats, highlighting a concerning trend of no finalists for Cuba in this championship.
