Cuban boxing star Julio César la Cruz (4-0, 4 KOs) was on the floor but was able to pull himself together and win a qualifying fight for the WBA world bantamweight title against Dylan Prasovic (18-6, 15 KOs) in the main event of the first professional boxing night in Cuba in many years.
The two-time Olympic champion confidently won the first round, but at the beginning of the second he lost concentration and found himself on the floor after a left side kick to the head. However, Prasovic missed a great chance, did not pick up the pace, and at the end of the same round he was knocked down after a right cross.
In the third round, La Cruz knocked his opponent down three more times, first with a right cross, then with a left hook, and finished with a left side kick to the liver.
Also on this night, another two-time Olympic gold medalist Arlen Lopez (4-0, 2 KOs), currently competing at flyweight, defeated Martin Esequiel Bulacio (14-9, 10 KOs) by unanimous judges' decision: 99-91 and twice 100-90.
Lightweight Lazaro Alvarez (7-0, 4 KOs), a three-time amateur world champion, knocked out Miguel Kelis Santos (10-1-1, 4 KOs) early in the seventh round and then landed several more tangible left punches and the 23-year-old Dominican Republic native refused to continue the fight at the break.
Paris Olympics star Erislandy Alvarez (4-0, 2 KOs) knocked out Brainerd Vazquez Soli (21-6-1, 13 KOs) with a right side kick in a middle distance exchange early in the fight.
