The gold medal of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the center of one of the biggest controversies at Paris 2024, carries a Cuban flavor, as one of her coaches is Pedro Luis Díaz, who worked for several years alongside Alcides Sagarra in the national team of the island.
Díaz was decisive in Khelif's (66 kilograms) victory, who faced numerous criticisms regarding her gender after defeating Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in her debut, and the Italian made statements that fueled the debate.
The champion won all three of her remaining fights by unanimous decision, including the final against the Chinese Liu Yang, to fulfill her goal under the guidance of the coach from the largest of the Antilles, who has an extensive background in the art of boxing.
In his home country, Díaz was part of several Olympic cycles under the guidance of Sagarra, and with his knowledge, he contributed to the development of stars such as Félix Savón, Joel Casamayor, Yan Barthelemí, Héctor Vinent, among others, according to Cubalite.
But in 2007 he decided to stay in Colombia, then he moved to Canada, where he remained involved in the sport of boxing, and from 2012 he settled in Miami, United States, where he founded his company Mundo Boxing, focused on fighters with careers in professional boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) practitioners.
Among many others, he has worked in the preparation of his compatriot Guillermo Rigondeaux and the Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Likewise, he was involved with Dominican boxing in the lead-up to the Beijing 2008 event, where one of his protégés, Félix Manuel Díaz (63.5), was crowned.
Díaz's success was joined by others achieved by coaches from the island in boxing at Paris 2024, as Pedro Roque shone with Azerbaijan, and Julián González Cedeño and Raúl Fernández did so at the helm of China's women's team.
Cuba, meanwhile, alongside its head coach, Rolando Acebal, had a particularly discreet performance, managing only to achieve Erislandy Álvarez's gold medal (63.5) and Arlen López's bronze (80).
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