Cuba ban Olympic champion Iglesias for 'indiscipline'

Havana, Aug 29 (IANS)

Roniel Iglesias Solotongo (C) of Cuba competes against Vincenzo Mangiacapre of Italy during the Men’s Light Welter (64kg) Boxing Semifinal bout on Day 14 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on August 10, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Cuban boxer Roniel Iglesias, the London 2012 Olympic champion, has been penalised for “indiscipline” and banned from international competition for one year.

The penalty immediately prevents him from participating in the match against Mexico Guerreros, to be held in Mexico City Thursday, reports Xinhua.

Iglesias, from the 69-kg category, will continue training in Pinar del Rio, his native province, “without possibilities to participate in international competitions,” Alberto Puig, President of the Cuban Boxing Federation (CBF), said Wednesday.

Puig said Iglesias would be part of the national team according to “his integral good behaviour.”

The boxer, also world champion in Milan 2009, was part of Domadores Cuba Boxing Team, to fight against Guerreros Mexico, as part of the Cuban team’s training towards the 4th World Series of Boxing in November.

Iglesias will be replaced by Luis Oliva, Cuban runner up in the 60-kg category and participant in the last Youth Boxing World Championship.

Cuba’s Domadores and Mexico’s Guerreros are part of the same qualifying group towards the World Series of Boxing, together with Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Poland.

The other group includes Argentina, United States, Ukraine, Italy, Germany and Algeria.