More Cuban boxers defect!

Very sad.....

This is becoming a soap opera! NEWS FLASH Rigondeaux and Lara arrested! The professional careers of Cuban boxing stars Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara may have come to an end before they even started. Two-time Olympic champion Rigondeaux and reigning welterweight world amateur champion Lara were waiting for their German visas at a secret place in Brazil when police arrested them. The two Cubans defected from their national team during the Pan American Games. Because they didn't have their passports with them, police has to figure out their identities. The consequences are not clear yet. Most probably Rigondeaux and Lara have to return to Cuba. Arena-CEO Ahmet Öner: “Of course, that’s not good news at all but I am not very shocked. After all the fuss Fidel Castro has made about the whole thing their was always a chance of something like that happening. I just hope that those guys get treated fair and that Fidel stops persecuting their friends and families in Cuba. We are in contact with the Brazilian administration. Maybe there is still a chance for Rigondeaux and Lara to come to Hamburg.”

i was right ,!!!! my man ahmet did snatch them . he propably put them in this bag and threw them in the back of the car and brought them to germany or turkey ..

Thanks man...he IS pretty good! Quick hands, southpaw...I wish he woulda stayed here in Miami though; woulda had a good chance of seeing him in person.

Iv;e never seen him fight. Is there video somewhere you can point me to?

I heard(in my gym) Rigondeaux has a stumbling record of something like 244-4, is that true? Yeah, that's his official record. How you seen him fight? He's quite amazing.

That's what the records say, though I dunno how much of that can be confirmed or not.

Another update.... NEWS FLASH Rigondeaux deal questioned! Boxing manager and attorney, Antonio "Tony" Gonzalez, based out of Miami, Florida, has issued a statement in response to Arena Box-Promoton/Ahmet Öner’s announcement of the signing two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux to a five-year promotional deal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It is an unfortunate situation that Mr. Öner has decided to make this announcement, especially when he is fully aware of my exclusive management contract being in place with Mr. Rigondeaux. He took it upon himself to whisk him (Rigondeaux) away in the Pan Am Games, and have him sign a promotional deal without proper, or legal representation, thus making said deal unenforceable. While I do acknowledge that Arena proposed the best promotional deal for my other clients, Solis, Gamboa, and Barthelemy, earlier this year, there is no way of knowing that Arena would have been the front runner this time around. What is even more disturbing is the fact that Öner is fully aware of my contract with Rigondeaux by virtue of our existing relationship with my other clients, yet he elected to completely neglect it."

Update on the story from a rival site...Looks like Demirturk was right. NEWS FLASH Arena inks defected Cuban stars! Arena Box-Promotion, which made big news by signing the three Cuban Olympic gold medalists who defected last December, has done it again. Two-time Olympic bantamweight gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux and world amatuer welterweight champion Erislandy Lara, who both defected from the Cuban team last week in Rio de Janeiro have signed five year deals with the Hamburg-based promotional company. Within the next four weeks, the two boxers will arrive in Hamburg. "I can't reveal where the athletes are currently, for understandable reasons," said Arena boss Ahmet Öner. "The fact is, however, is that it takes time to arrange the visas, as well as the residence and work permits. Of course we will present the young fighters to the public upon their arrival in Hamburg. I'm already looking forward already to that day."

Lara fought at 152. There's no such thing as 147 in the ams. yes and ther eis no such thing as super or jr. It either middleweight or welterweight

Lara fought at 152. There's no such thing as 147 in the ams.

i bet ahmet öner snatched them

Update: Cuban boxers defect ! By José Elias Flores Jr - www.ringue.net The Cuban delegation, as well as everybody at Pan Games 2007 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was quite surprised when it was announced that two of Cuba's most pretigious amateur boxers, Erislandy Lara Santoya and two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux, had left their teams for unknown reasons and could not be located. Both of them did not show up for the weigh in for their fights on Sunday (losing on W.O.) and have oficially been declared as "traitors" by longtime Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. "They were knocked out by that green paper. The United States have always used this kind of procedure to try to destroy Cuba's resistance," wrote Castro in a widely distributed email. Rigondeaux has won 244 of 248 amateur fights. According to Brazil's Globo TV, both boxers have probably traveled on a small plane to Paraguay, from where the have probably gone to somewhere in Europe. Recently, three other top Cuban boxers, including heavyweight Odlanier Solis, defected from their national team while training last December in Venezuela

the times of the entire world holding the Cuban amatuers up as deities and celebrities is over. Gone are the days of which Stevenson would be recognized by all and adorned by woman (ones he didn't reportedly rape). Now that communism's influence has declined, the opportunities that the pro game provides fiscally outwieghs the social relevance of being a great amatuer. Basically, we will continually see this with more frequency and the talent pool just got deeper in the lower weights.