German outfit AGON Sports announced today that they’d signed Cuban Olympic medalists Erislandy Alvarez, Arlen Lopez, Julio Cesar La Cruz, and Lazaro Alvarez to professional contracts ahead of an April 11th show in Varadero, Cuba.
AGON seems like an odd fit on paper, but they’ve long promoted IBF super middleweight champion William Scull, so they’re no stranger to the island and its boxing program. As The Ring’s Anson Wainwright points out, this marks the first professional boxing show on Cuban soil since Fidel Castro’s ban in 1962. The five-fight lineup will also feature super featherweight Moussa Gholam, who was briefly floated as a replacement against Shakur Stevenson before Josh Padley stepped in.
All four of the signees have limited pro experience, though none have ; Tokyo gold medalist E. Alvarez (24) is 3-0, two-time gold medalist Arlen Lopez (32) is 2-0, two-time gold medalist La Cruz (35) is 3-0, and three-time bronze medalist L. Alvarez (34) is 6-0. La Cruz was briefly linked to a showdown with WBA “bridgerweight” champion and former amateur rival Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, but that vanished without a trace.
Don’t expect too much from 30-years-old, but it’s worth getting very excited about Erislandy, who’s not only young enough for a lengthy pro career but has the perfect style for it. Hoping he commits to it and doesn’t just to the Bakhodir Jalolov thing of killing time between Games.