The Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás He recalled a very painful passage in his career: when attended the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and had to settle for a bronze medaldespite being the favorite to take the gold.
Ugás shared a text on his networks in which he describes his only participation in the Olympic Games, after which He became totally disappointed in amateur sports.
“I arrived at the Beijing Olympics as a sure gold medalist. He was the best fighter and only world champion of my team and my country at that time. The Olympics started and he was a machine,” he said.
The Cuban reached the semifinals, facing the Frenchman again Daouda Sowwhom he had previously defeated twice: a year earlier in France and the previous month in Havana.
“I start by winning the fight and when the second round ends, my coach, the late Mena, tells me: ‘Ugh, we have two points up and I say: ‘How?’. ‘Yes, two points up.’ I said inside myself: ‘Two points! No, I have to go out and get 20 points,'” he explained.
“I came out in the third round to give a beating, completely disorganized, and those next two rounds were a disaster. And then I said goodbye to the Olympics, which was a tragedy for me. It’s an anecdote. (Never believe yourself invincible, never underestimate anyone, stay humble). But hey, thanks to that bronze medal I was able to reach the professional level faster. That totally disappointed me about the amateur. The rest is history,” he concluded.