Reyes Pla vs La Cruz, something more than a fight for the medal
Emmanuel Reyes Pla, the Prophet who came from Havana to win a medal with Spain, will dispute this Friday (12:54 p.m. in the peninsula) "something more than a fight." This is how Chano Planas, the promoter and trainer who welcomed the heavyweight when he arrived in A Coruña four years ago, describes it. The boxer fled his country on a journey through Russia, Belarus, Austria, Germany and France that included internment in refugee centers until arriving in Galicia with his family. From then on, Planas recalls that Reyes Pla had "less physical depth than a puddle" due to anguish and lack of training. However, at the Tokyo Games, full of strength, he has to face a former compatriot, Cuban Julio la Cruz, who has the mission of crushing a "worm," as those who left are called on the island. Whoever wins will already be bronze, because in boxing two are shared.
Reyes Pla (28 years old) prescribed a spectacular KO to the Kazakh Vassiliy Levit, current Olympic runner-up, in his debut, which places him ahead of La Cruz, light heavyweight champion in Rio 2016 and four times world championship. A former teammate who blocked his way (he competed at that weight) and one of the reasons why he decided to leave the country to seek other horizons, fed up with his federation not betting on him. "La Cruz carries a lot of pressure on him, because the fight also has political connotations," warns Planas. It is obvious. Reyes Pla, after sending Levit to the canvas, encouraged the Cuban people "to continue fighting and take their freedom."
A duel that, however, was about to be cut short. Reyes Pla lived in Spain in an irregular situation, so Planas encouraged him to debut in the professional field, where they could obtain a license. "The posters were made when the call from the Spanish Federation arrived and we thought it would be a good asset," he says. His grandmother, his father, and his uncle, who runs the El Cubanito bar, are living in A Coruña, his support when he arrived in Spain. But he did not hesitate to move to Blume in Madrid to join the Olympic team when the proposal came. Then came his nationalization in January of last year. Now he is where he wants. In some Games and before the possibility of a medal. Gazi Jalidov from La Rioja will also fight for her, in the light heavyweight (81 kg), this morning (06:06), against the Russian Imam Khataev.
