Before flying to Bulgaria, the matancero Javier Ibáñez was considered a great promise at the Cuban School of Boxing. His time in the junior categories was excellent, and the jump to stardom came at the snap of a finger after he became the champion of the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
The year 2014 was perfect for the one born in Calimete: in just four months, he achieved the mentioned crown and reigned in the youth world championship, precisely in Sofia, a city that saw him arrive legally in 2018.
With the cachet of his career and the drought in boxing among the Bulgarians, Ibáñez had the doors open to enter the national team, whose training center was located 2,050 meters above sea level and about 116 kilometers from the capital of the country.
The life change had a running mate: Yordan Hernández, another person from Matanzas, although born in Los Arabos.
Both shared several similarities: they were born in 1996, in the same province, practiced boxing, and Hernández, also an emerging figure, won the mentioned events with just a few hours of difference.
Something changed: the super heavyweight is not in Paris 2024 today representing Bulgaria, but Ibáñez is, and he wants to shine in the 57-kilogram division, after completing all the paperwork for his naturalization in 2021.
A few months ago, in the last World Boxing Championship held in Uzbekistan, he fell in the quarterfinals; that is to say, he was very close to winning a medal, something he achieved at the 2023 European Championship.
According to the magazine El Estornudo, he is currently trained by his fellow countryman Joel Soler, one of several coaches from the island who qualified their students for the meeting under the shadow of the five rings.
Last May, the Caribbean athlete, standing at 165 centimeters tall and as a testament to his level, was crowned European champion by the IBA (International Association) in the featherweight category, defeating the local José Quiles in Madrid.
A boxer with good evasion, quick movements, and precise at all three distances, Javier will not be an easy opponent for anyone and, at 28 years old, he is part of the group of Cubans who are now representing other flags at the current Olympic Games.
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