The boxer Orlando Martínez Romero, who in 1972 gave Cuba the first gold medal in the Olympic Games in the sport of fist fighting, died this Wednesday in Havana at the age of 75, a victim of Alzheimer's.
Osvaldo Vento Montiller, president of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), regretted the event on his Twitter account.
"It hurts to know that Orlando Martínez Romero, our beloved Orlandito, the first Olympic champion boxer of revolutionary sport, died in Munich 1972. He shone in other fights and was the undefeated monarch of loyalty to his people. Condolences from INDER of Cuba to family and friends ", he expressed.
Roberto León Richards, former gymnast and president of the Cuban Olympic Committee, also recalled the relevance of Orlandito Martínez, as he was known, in the development of sport on the Island.
"His death, which we deeply regret, is not enough to undo the mark that he sculpted as a symbol of the sport to which he gave himself fully. Orlandito Martínez will continue with us as the champion that he is. Our hugs to family, friends and followers of the great boxer" , he pointed.
Orlandito - as he was popularly known - was born on September 2, 1946 in Havana, in the Juanelo neighborhood. He began boxing in 1963, at the Luyanó Moderno gym.
According to the sports siteJit, he competed in the Olympics in Mexico 1968, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976. He was also Pan American champion in Mexico 1975 and won a bronze medal at the Central American Games in Santo Domingo 1974. He always kept his weight at 54 kilos.
In the international tournament Giraldo Córdova Cardín was the winner three times and was national champion several times.
After retiring from active sports, he dedicated himself to teaching the young generations.
His body will be laid to rest at the Santa Catalina funeral home, in the Diez de Octubre municipality, and his burial is scheduled for 5:00 pm in the pantheon of sports glories in the Colón Necropolis.
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