The double Olympic champion went down on a points decision in Liverpool despite Aibek Oralbay receiving a standing 10 count in the third round.
.png){kind=tracking}
A chorus of boos rang out across Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena as Julio Cesar La Cruz was eliminated by a split decision loss to Aibek Oralbay in the World Boxing Championships 2025 men's +90kg semi-final on Friday, 12 September.
The double Olympic champion from Cuba had been second best for most of the contest, unable to match the Kazakh's superior punching power.
Every connection from the Central Asian was cheered by a large group of fans waving blue and yellow flags, and it seemed like the writing was on the wall for La Cruz.
But the 36-year-old legend wasn't willing to go down easily. A furious attack in the third round resulted in a standing 10 count for Oralbay, and wild celebrations from the Cuban's coaches who believed their man had done enough to snatch a late victory.
As the fighters waited for the result, La Cruz implored the crowd to increase the volume of their 'Julio' chants, but it was ultimately in vain, as the 3-2 split decision was announced to bring a bout of the highest class to an end.
La Cruz will leave with a bronze medal, while Oralbay progresses into the gold medal bout.
Source : https://www.olympics.com/en/news/world-boxing-championships-2025-julio-cesar-la-cruz-eliminated
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire