Cuban wrestlers making rare Los Angeles appearance for Freestyle World Cup, April 11-12
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by Rich Perelman
Livan Lopez Azcuy of Cuba in his Bronze Medal victory over two time Olympic Champion Mavlet Batirov of Russia at the 2011 World Championships. Adam Fenn photo.
LOS ANGELES, California, March 24 ─ Cuba is justly famous for cigars, rum, boxing and baseball. But today’s Cuban wrestling squad might be more dangerous than all of them.
Long respected but not as celebrated as the United States, Russia or Iran on the mats, a resurgent Cuban team will return to the United World Wrestling Freestyle World Cup at The Forum in Los Angeles on April 11-12.
It’s a rare Los Angeles appearance for a Cuban national team of any kind. In fact, it might be the first visit by a Cuban national team of any kind to the area since the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu in 1983. There, the Cubans finished eighth, but will shoot for a much higher finish on the mats at The Forum.
That’s because Cuba climbed to fifth in the team standings at the 2014 United World Wrestling World Championships, winning four medals in the freestyle competition: silver medalist Reineris Salas (86 kg/189 lbs.), and bronze medal winners Yowlys Bonne (61 kg/134 lbs.), Livan Lopez (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Javier Cortina (97 kg/213 lbs.). All are expected to complete in Los Angeles.
The trip to Los Angeles will be the first appearance for Cuba in the World Cup since the 2011 matches in Makhachkala, Russia in 2011, where they finished fifth. But the Cubans are no stranger to World Cup success, having won the title in 2005 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, finished as runners-up in 2006 and 2008, and have been third seven times.
They’ve even had good success on U.S. soil in the World Cup, last competing in the event in the U.S. in Fairfax, Virginia in 2000, finishing fourth. In 12 total World Cup appearances in the U.S., the Cuban team has finished third six times, for a podium batting average of .500.
The highly-publicized thaw in political relations between the countries may mean that Cuban officials pack a few more cigars or mini-bottles of Havana Club rum to hand out as gifts at The Forum, but there will be no cordiality on the mats.
That’s because the Cuban squad will face the United States, one of the tournament favorites, in the first match of the World Cup at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.
Cuba will then wrestle Mongolia on Saturday evening before tangling with World Championship team winners Russia (second in last year’s World Cup) on Sunday, April 12. The winner of Group A – Cuba, Mongolia, Russia and the U.S. – will face the Group B winner (possibly Iran) for the World Cup title on Sunday afternoon.
There’s no live national television of the Saturday matches, so getting a good seat at Versailles, the celebrated home of Cuban cuisine in Los Angeles, won’t be good enough. To see the Cubans and Americans battle on the mats, you’ll have to be there in person.
All-Session tickets are $60 for General Admission and $85 for Preferred Seating. Single-Day tickets, for either Saturday or Sunday, are $35 for General Admission and $55 for Preferred Seating, at The Forum box office or online at www.Ticketmaster.com (fees apply).
FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
(with dual meet pairings each session)
Saturday, April 11
Session I
3:00 p.m. – USA vs. Cuba on Mat A, Iran vs. Belarus on Mat B
4:30 p.m. – Russia vs. Mongolia on Mat A, Azerbaijan vs. Turkey on Mat B
Session II
6:15 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:30 p.m. – USA vs. Russia on Mat A, Iran vs. Turkey on Mat B
8:00 p.m. – Mongolia vs. Cuba on Mat A, Belarus vs. Azerbaijan on Mat B
Sunday, April 12
Session III
11:00 a.m. – USA vs. Mongolia on Mat A, Turkey vs. Belarus on Mat B
12:30 p.m. – Azerbaijan vs. Iran on Mat A, Cuba vs. Russia on Mat B
2:00 p.m. – Fifth Place Dual on Mat A, Seventh Place Dual on Mat B
Session IV
4:15 p.m. – Third Place Dual on Mat A
5:45 p.m. – First Place Dual on Mat A
All-Session tickets are $60 for General Admission and $85 for Preferred Seating. Single-Day tickets, for either Saturday or Sunday, are $35 for General Admission and $55 for Preferred Seating, at The Forum box office or online at www.Ticketmaster.com (fees apply).
LOS ANGELES, California, March 24 ─ Cuba is justly famous for cigars, rum, boxing and baseball. But today’s Cuban wrestling squad might be more dangerous than all of them.
Long respected but not as celebrated as the United States, Russia or Iran on the mats, a resurgent Cuban team will return to the United World Wrestling Freestyle World Cup at The Forum in Los Angeles on April 11-12.
It’s a rare Los Angeles appearance for a Cuban national team of any kind. In fact, it might be the first visit by a Cuban national team of any kind to the area since the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu in 1983. There, the Cubans finished eighth, but will shoot for a much higher finish on the mats at The Forum.
That’s because Cuba climbed to fifth in the team standings at the 2014 United World Wrestling World Championships, winning four medals in the freestyle competition: silver medalist Reineris Salas (86 kg/189 lbs.), and bronze medal winners Yowlys Bonne (61 kg/134 lbs.), Livan Lopez (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Javier Cortina (97 kg/213 lbs.). All are expected to complete in Los Angeles.
The trip to Los Angeles will be the first appearance for Cuba in the World Cup since the 2011 matches in Makhachkala, Russia in 2011, where they finished fifth. But the Cubans are no stranger to World Cup success, having won the title in 2005 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, finished as runners-up in 2006 and 2008, and have been third seven times.
They’ve even had good success on U.S. soil in the World Cup, last competing in the event in the U.S. in Fairfax, Virginia in 2000, finishing fourth. In 12 total World Cup appearances in the U.S., the Cuban team has finished third six times, for a podium batting average of .500.
The highly-publicized thaw in political relations between the countries may mean that Cuban officials pack a few more cigars or mini-bottles of Havana Club rum to hand out as gifts at The Forum, but there will be no cordiality on the mats.
That’s because the Cuban squad will face the United States, one of the tournament favorites, in the first match of the World Cup at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.
Cuba will then wrestle Mongolia on Saturday evening before tangling with World Championship team winners Russia (second in last year’s World Cup) on Sunday, April 12. The winner of Group A – Cuba, Mongolia, Russia and the U.S. – will face the Group B winner (possibly Iran) for the World Cup title on Sunday afternoon.
There’s no live national television of the Saturday matches, so getting a good seat at Versailles, the celebrated home of Cuban cuisine in Los Angeles, won’t be good enough. To see the Cubans and Americans battle on the mats, you’ll have to be there in person.
All-Session tickets are $60 for General Admission and $85 for Preferred Seating. Single-Day tickets, for either Saturday or Sunday, are $35 for General Admission and $55 for Preferred Seating, at The Forum box office or online at www.Ticketmaster.com (fees apply).
FREESTYLE WRESTLING WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
(with dual meet pairings each session)
Saturday, April 11
Session I
3:00 p.m. – USA vs. Cuba on Mat A, Iran vs. Belarus on Mat B
4:30 p.m. – Russia vs. Mongolia on Mat A, Azerbaijan vs. Turkey on Mat B
Session II
6:15 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:30 p.m. – USA vs. Russia on Mat A, Iran vs. Turkey on Mat B
8:00 p.m. – Mongolia vs. Cuba on Mat A, Belarus vs. Azerbaijan on Mat B
Sunday, April 12
Session III
11:00 a.m. – USA vs. Mongolia on Mat A, Turkey vs. Belarus on Mat B
12:30 p.m. – Azerbaijan vs. Iran on Mat A, Cuba vs. Russia on Mat B
2:00 p.m. – Fifth Place Dual on Mat A, Seventh Place Dual on Mat B
Session IV
4:15 p.m. – Third Place Dual on Mat A
5:45 p.m. – First Place Dual on Mat A
All-Session tickets are $60 for General Admission and $85 for Preferred Seating. Single-Day tickets, for either Saturday or Sunday, are $35 for General Admission and $55 for Preferred Seating, at The Forum box office or online at www.Ticketmaster.com (fees apply).
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