"Homeland and life, no! Homeland or death, we will win!" - Julio Cesar La Cruz, Heavyweight Gold medalist from Cuba

A right jab to the face of the right wing A Cuban-born boxer representing Spain, upon learning that he would face Julio Cesar La Cruz in the quarterfinals, excited haters of the Revolution with his bragging and offensive sloganeering, but lost the bout

Author: Ventura de Jesús | informacion@granma.cu

August 3, 2021 12:08:07

With action and words, as if all of Cuba was speaking in his voice and posture, Julio Cesar La Cruz responded in the Olympic ring. The provocative comments of his rival Enmanuel Reyes, a Cuban-born boxer nationalized in Spain, upon learning that he would face La Cruz in the quarterfinals, roused those who encourage hate and demonize the Revolution. "We are going to tear heads off," Reyes predicted, hours before the announced fight, something that even he himself did not believe. He never once defeated his former teammate and Olympic champion, when they were training together in Cuba. Reyes flooded social networks with his bragging, fully aware of the context, one of escalating media hostility, with campaigns based on fake news and politically motivated lies about Cuba. This was not one of the usual challenges of words, exchanged between opponents, typical of professional boxing. His bravado was linked to diabolical plans orchestrated by the ultra-right wing in the United States, intent upon presenting Cuba as a hopeless country, immersed in chaos. Of course, the Olympic Games provided an opportunity that could not be missed, to launch a treasonous insult in the form of the deceptive slogan "Patria y vida" (Homeland and Life). In the end, it was a fight in which the captain of the Cuban team made sure his good boxing prevailed. Immediately, there were protests against the verdict of the judges, who, according to Reyes were "godfathers," prejudiced against the Spanish fighter. The reality of the situation was, however, more than clear. What really bothered some was not the outcome, but the reaction of Julio Cesar, who, at the end of the fight, driven by his heart and his patriotism, affirmed, resolutely and for all present to hear: "Homeland and life, no! Homeland or death, we will win!" It was an exit the sellouts did not expect, a response that landed, like a right-handed jab, to the very face of the anti-Cuban right.