Having not yet climbed to the top of the podium for Spain, his host country, the Cuban boxer Enmanuel Reyes has shown that he can dream of an Olympic medal in Paris.
Silver at the European Championship in Armenia 2022, bronze at the World Championship in Belgrade 2021, also third place at the European Games Krakow, Poland 2023 serve as the legitimate aspiration of the Cuban.
My aspirations in Paris are focused on a single goal: the gold medal if God allows it. I placed fifth in Tokyo, also competing for Spain. Now I am physically and mentally preparing myself to become an Olympic champion; I am getting into my best shape, following the plan set by my coach, and most importantly, enjoying the process.
How was your departure from Cuba, when did it happen; were you part of the high-performance sports program?
Yes, I belonged to the high-performance pyramid. I left Cuba after what would be my last Playa Girón tournament, held in Santiago de Cuba, where I "lost" in the final to Erislandi Savón. That was in 2016, and there I convinced myself that they would never give me the opportunity to be great, even if I had positive results.
He possessed qualities, but as always, established ones can't be removed by anyone... even if you win! This is seen with all Cuban athletes, not only in boxing but in all sports. How many who were not given the opportunity, emigrated and today are stars on this side?
That's why I left. I set off for Belarus to cross the border into Poland, but everything went wrong and I had to return to Moscow. From there, after a few weeks, I was able to arrange a flight with a layover in a European country, so I took one with a layover in Austria.
There, I applied for asylum and was transferred to a refugee camp; I began crossing borders and was stopped at the German border for not having documents and was detained there for two months. When they released me, I returned to Austria and was able to take a plane to Spain to reach Galicia, where all my family is.
What a story of yours, Enmanuel! Cuban people really go through a lot of hardship unnecessarily.
Oh Julita, what for? It's hard to believe. Upon arriving in Spain, I got in touch with the Spanish national team, and the coach Rafa Lozano told me to come to Madrid to see me, and from then on, I didn't separate from the national team. I am very grateful for the trust they placed in me.
I do all the procedures to become a naturalized Spanish citizen and I am grateful to this great country for allowing me to represent it and for having welcomed me as one of their own. It was in this way that a year before the Tokyo Olympics I started competing as a Spaniard.
My coaches here were initially Rafa Lozano and Carlos Peñate, and now, Rafa Lozano, Ernesto Aroche, and Esteban Cuéllar, the latter two being Cuban.
Precisely, what are the differences between the Cuban boxing school and the European one? How much did the Cuban school help you in your career in European boxing?
The difference is that the Cuban style involves more movement; the European style is stationary and focuses more on strength and power. The Cuban school has helped me a lot in my overall training because I have combined that leg movement with the power of the European school. My coaches have skillfully combined both training systems.
How was your childhood and your beginnings in boxing?
I had a peaceful, happy childhood. My parents provided my siblings and me with the basic necessities to be well and live decently, and I am grateful to God for that. I am from San Miguel del Padrón, my great and beloved neighborhood. My first steps were taken in Juanelo, where my paternal grandmother lived; later on, I moved to my maternal grandmother's house, all within San Miguel del Padrón.
I got into boxing through Guillermo Santín, who taught me what boxing is. I am always grateful to him for guiding me in this great sport. My first gym, the well-known Paco Paco, where great boxers emerged, proud to have come out of there.
I went through high-performance training; first at the EIDE where I was trained by Richard Vaillant de Armas and Santiago Suárez. At the CEART, being part of the youth squad, I was a disciple of Maikro Romero, Ernesto Aroche, and Esteban Cuéllar, the latter two of whom, as I told you, are two of my current coaches in Spain.
I also attended the boxing academy in Havana, where my teachers were Julio César Rodríguez, Alberto Pérez, Alberto Brea, and Ernesto Machín, while at the National Team's training facility, I received guidance from Juan Hernández Sierra, all great coaches.
Your fights against the two-time Olympic champion Julio César la Cruz have been very publicized. What is your opinion of him?
From my performances in the Playa Girón tournaments (two silver medals and two bronze medals) and in the Cardín tournaments (a second place and a gold medal), my main rival has always been Julio César la Cruz. You will realize that it is a rivalry of many years. As a boxer, he is good, I would say a great boxer; as a person, I have no relationship with him. I show courtesy towards him, out of the respect my parents taught me, but that's as far as it goes. The rivalry was already seen in Tokyo.
What happened in Tokyo and what could happen now in Paris?
In the Japanese capital, Emmanuel was a different man. The current one is prepared to win; neither La Cruz nor any other boxer keeps me up at night. To me, I am my biggest rival. He is just another one I face.
With this conviction and if you allow me, I want to send a greeting, a tight hug to my people from San Miguel and Juanelo, the best friends, whom I always keep in mind. For them, my triumph will also be.
What do you think?
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