Cuban women, finally, in boxing ring

With a strong right jab to the face of her opponent, Elianni Garcia Polledo won the first official women's boxing match in sports-crazed Cuba.

"It is a historic result for Cuban boxing," said one of the judges over the loudspeaker when announcing the "unanimous" decision for Garcia, from Havana province, over Reynabell Grant, from Guantanamo. Both are 27.

Dressed in red and shorter, Garcia tirelessly landed powerful blows with both hands that hit her opponent's face, shoulders and abdomen several times.

That is, until the decisive blow, in the third round, left Grant down for the count and ultimately decided the fight.

It was the beginning of the first official women's boxing program, something that many women and authorities of this sport expected in Cuba, an island that boasts 80 world boxing titles and 41 Olympic gold medals in boxing, including the legendary Teofilo Stevenson.

Finally, Cuban sports authorities gave a green light for women on December 5.

In the end, there will be 12 females -- two for each division, which will be the preselection of the team for the Central American games in San Salvador, in August 2023 and other international events.

Cuba has had female representation in all sports, including weightlifting and wrestling, since 2006, but the last bastion of "sports machismo" long was insurmountable: letting women box.

Women's boxing is now practised in 187 of the 202 member countries of the International Boxing Association (IBA).