The Cuban rulerMiguel Diaz-Canelcalled boxer Julio César la Cruz by phone to congratulate him on his victory in Tokyo against Enmanuel Reyes, and forhaving shouted "Not Homeland and Life! Homeland or Death, We Will Win!", after being proclaimed winner.
"In addition to winning today, that patriotic attitude was a gift to this people," Díaz-Canel told him.
"The people have always deserved it, from the year 1868 when the war of independence began until today, when we are in combat, the people have always deserved it," answered the boxer.
The president also spoke with the judokaIdalys Ortiz and taekwondo player Rafael Alba, silver and bronze winners, respectively, whose performance he described as "inspiring", as well as La Cruz's "patriotic cry of Patria o Muerte."
"You are going to continue winning and you are going to continue giving medals to the country. And you are going to improve the color of the medals," Díaz-Canel stressed in his telephone conversation with the boxer.
"That is the objective of us, of this flagship, as our commander and greatest athlete, Fidel Castro, named it," said the boxer.
La Cruz jumped into controversy on Friday when, after defeating the Cuban naturalized Spaniard Enmanuel Reyes Pla in a close fight, he returned to the stands of the Cuban delegation and exclaimed "Patria y Vida no!, Patria o Muerte, We Will Victory!"
The fight was highly anticipated due to the novelty of seeing two Cubans with different flags facing each other in the ring in the Olympics, and La Cruz's attitude only confirmed the political scope of the match.
"How Cuban the cry of Homeland or Death. Of course we will win!" Díaz-Canel expressed on his Twitter account.
La Cruz's attitude was criticized by the Cuban RobeisyRamírez, professional boxer in the United States, who accused him of being a "kneeler of the dictatorship".
"Julio César La Cruz—being in a democracy like Japan—chose to repeat the communist refrain Homeland or Death. That is his prerogative. Mine is to reaffirm myself on the side of freedom and denounce him as the kneeling Cuban dictatorship that he is," Ramírez expressed on his Facebook wall.
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