By Leon de Juda: In recent years, there has been a Cuban invasion in professional boxing. Hot prospects like super featherweight WBA interim Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa, skillful and talented prospect Erislandy Lara and now 2 time Olympic Gold medallist Guillermo Rigondeaux have, without a doubt, gained a major fan base due to their extreme skills and amateur accomplishments in the International stage. However, there is also another Cuban campaigning in the heavyweight division that is on par in talent and amateur accomplishment with Gamboa, Lara and Rigondeaux. His name is Odlanier Solis, 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winner.
Odlanier Solis Fonte defected in December of 2006 to realize his dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion. He was a very decorated heavyweight amateur who captured Gold in the 2004 Olympic Games, captured Gold in 2001, 2003 and 2005 World Amateur Championships and Gold in 1999 and 2003 PanAmerican Games.. Along the way, he defeated Cuban legend Felix Savon twice and was 6 time Cuban National Champion. So, with all of this accomplishments why is Solis overshadowed by Gamboa and Lara? Solis made his National TV US debut on January 9, 2009 on Friday night fights against american Kevin Burnett, a fight in which he won by TKO in the 8th round.
Solis looked very fast, strong and accurate with his punches overwhelming Burnett from all angles all night long. The american Burnett did’nt know what to do against the more talented and experienced Solis who many people critized because of his weight and to some people lack of motivation. Teddy Atlas said that Solis had the experience and the skills to make it but he doubted Solis preparation and questioned his 260 pounds. It seems that for some reason that even though that Solis weighs around 30lbs more than in the amateur days, he carries those extra pounds very well and is still very fast, skillful and extremely accurate with his punches. This is not easy to see in any other fighter as Solis fights like he is still 230lbs.
Recently, Solis was reunited with his old Cuban amateur coach Pedro Diaz, this is the person who guided Solis to stardom back in Cuba in the International stage. Their reunion could be a very special one as Solis and Diaz have been working together for many many years. Standing at approximately 6’2, Solis has a rock hard chin, has an inpenetrable pick-a-boo defence and counters like a monster. His punching power is also very good as he has demolished 260 punders like nothing. Recently, Solis had a date with experienced Puerto Rican Fres Oquendo but the fight was never made due to a finger injury by Solis. It would have been a good test but the Cuban would have dominated Oquendo easily due to his skillful and technical style.
Solis is ranked #7 by the WBC and with just 13 fights is more than capable of beating any heavyweight in the World. Yesterday, he offered to step in and fight Wladimir Klitschko for the Championship thus replacing David Haye. In this very moment, Solis is not ready to fight the Klitschko’s as he needs to fight more frequent and to fight better opponents as well. Names like David Haye ( who Solis beat already in the amateurs ), Kevin Johnson, Chris Arreola or Eddie Chambers are names that Solis can fight and get better experience in the process. I am more than confident to say that Solis will beat all of these contenders easily and will be better prepared to face the Klitschko’s after that. This is not to say that Solis cannot do any damage to the Klitschko’s as of right now which I really feel that he can but he needs to prepare better first.
Solis has all the skills and talent in the World that many heavyweights would love to have. He is an Olympic Gold medallist and 3 times World Amateur Champion which is something that barely no professional heavyweight has. His reunion with his old Cuban coach Pedro Diaz will surely get him more motivated, will give him more confidence and hopefully get him in better shape. Even though that still as of this day many people don’t know Solis, it may all change very quick in his next 2 or 3 fights. He is a very serious prospect who has tons of talent and amateur accomplishments to help him along the way to the top. We the fans, would love to see Solis lose 20 lbs and go back to his original weight of 230lbs. Even if Solis would still fight at 260lbs, he is still a major force to be reckoned with.
Solis real talent and skills have not been shown yet as he has fought only limited opposition. Only when he fights better opponents will his real talent show up. Keep in mind that he fought way better opposition in the amateurs than in the pros so far and this is why he was so dominant. A 230 pound Solis, is without a doubt a boxing machine so let’s hope that Pedro Diaz will get him to that weight again in his next outings. The Cubans have never had a professional World Heavyweight Champion and all is riding now in the hands of Odlanier Solis. Three Cubans have fought for the Heavyweight Title three times and the three times have failed. Jorge Luis Gonzalez TKO’d by Riddick Bowe, Eliecer Castillo beaten by Chris Byrd and Juan Carlos Gomez beaten by Vitaly Klitschko recently.
Odlanier Solis is way better and more skillful than Gonzalez, Castillo and Gomez put together and thus has way more chances of becoming the first Cuban Heavyweight Champion. Of course, Cuba would have had already Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon and many others World Heavyweight Champions if it were’nt because of Cuba’s communist regimen. Only time and dedication will give Solis his dream of achieving glory in the heavyweight division. His talent and skills are there, let’s just hope that he fights soon so that the World can see the new and improved Solis under his old Cuban coach.
Solis needs to stay very busy and defeat every single contender thrown at him and forget about the Klitschko’s for now. There are good enough prospects out there that should give Solis a good test. Can’t wait to see ” La Sombra ” back in action soon!