The Ring<\/a>. \u201cDominican fighters are everywhere in Puerto Rico, America [and] Europe. In different places, there are a lot of Dominican fighters. That feels great.\u201dCruz brothers<\/p>\nThe first fighter from the Dominican Republic to win a world title was Carlos \u201cTeo\u201d Cruz (42-13-2, 14 KOs), who spent much of his career training and fighting in Puerto Rico, like many fighters from the Dominican Republic at that time. He became the WBC lightweight champion when he defeated Puerto Rico\u2019s Carlos Ortiz by split decision in Santo Domingo on June 29, 1968. Cruz’s triumph fulfilled the groundwork that was first laid by Dominicans Luis Emilio Perez (40-10-9, 12 KOs) and Carlos Perez (24-15-2, 12 KOs).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we start talking about Dominican history in boxing, you need to mention Carlos Teo Cruz,\u201d Puello said. \u201c[He was] the first one. He was the person who opened the door for all the champions you see now and all the champions who will come in the future. So that means a lot for me. Cruz was the main guy who opened the door, and now everybody\u2019s coming through.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Cruz won two fights after winning the title, including a unanimous decision over Mando Ramos (37-11-1, 23 KOs), but lost in a rematch by 11th-round stoppage due to cuts in February 1969. Cruz won four straight fights following the loss to Ramos, but a chance to become a two-time champion never came to fruition. <\/p>\n
Cruz and his wife, Mildred, and their two children died in a plane crash in February 1970, on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe headlines in Puerto Rico said two countries are mourning today,\u201d Corpas said. \u201cCarlos lived in Puerto Rico and was married to a Puerto Rican. When he died, both the Puerto Rican and the Dominican newspapers were saying, \u2018We’re mourning right now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
After his death, his younger brother, Leonardo \u201cLeo\u201d Cruz, went on to win the WBA junior featherweight title in a rematch against Argentina\u2019s Sergio Victor Palma (52-5-5, 20 KOs) in June 1982. The win made Teo and Leo (41-7-3, 18 KOs) the first Latin brothers to win world titles. Leo defended his title three times, which still stands as the record for title defenses of one belt for a boxer from the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
Good fighters came and went from the Dominican Republic before, during and after Leo\u2019s reign as champion. Eleoncio Mercedes won the WBC flyweight title with a split decision over Freddy Castillo in November 1982. Miguel Montilla ascended the ranks but fell short twice against Colombia\u2019s first world champion, Antonio Cervantes, in 1979 and ’80, and Aaron Pryor in 1982. Cervantes and Pryor are in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n
Rafael Torres became the first WBO minimumweight champion in 1989, while Hector Acero Sanchez, Julio Cesar Green and Luis Santana won world titles in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Including Teo and Leo, 27 fighters from the Dominican Republic have won world titles. Among them, Guzman and Katy Wilson Castillo are the only two-division champions. Guzman and Leo are the only fighters to notch multiple title defenses of a single belt.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joel Guzman influence<\/p>\n
However, consistent opportunities were still scarce for fighters from the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the ’90s, there were a lot of good Dominican boxers,\u201d Guzman told The Ring. \u201cBut because they were seen here as opponents, they were good, but they were offered a fight when they were not ready, or they did it for the money. I was one of those who changed the mentality of the new school of Dominican boxing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came here after the Olympics in 1996, there weren\u2019t a lot of good Dominican fighters here. Some people would see me sparring and think I\u2019m Black because I look different. It\u2019s the reason I started putting the Dominican flag on my trunks because everybody thought, \u2018Oh, he\u2019s Dominican, but he\u2019s from the Bronx,\u2019 but I didn\u2019t speak English. I\u2019m from DR.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seeds for this renaissance were largely planted by Guzman, 2008 Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz and Cuban trainer Armando Hernandez, who is the longtime coach for the Dominican National Team. Guzman (34-1-1, 21 KOs) won titles at junior featherweight and junior lightweight. Before that, he went 310-10 as an amateur and won the Pan American Games in 1995 and fought at the ’96 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, before turning pro the following year. At his peak, Guzman was one of boxing\u2019s best talents in the lower weight classes.<\/p>\n
Guzman fought in the Dominican Republic for the first time in over three years in December 2006 to make the first defense of his WBO junior lightweight title. He delivered a dominant showing en route to a unanimous decision victory against Antonio Davis. <\/p>\n
Guzman\u2019s strong performance came with numerous prominent promoters in attendance, including Oscar De La Hoya, International Boxing Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions CEO. Dominican journalist and YouTuber \u201cBroadway Joel\u201d credits Guzman\u2019s performance against Davis as a turning point in drawing more attention to boxers from the country.<\/p>\n
“While they were there, they were like, \u2018Hey, man, if they\u2019re producing them like Joan Guzman, we want to sign a few.\u2019 Guys like Argenis Mendez, Claudio Marrero, Juan Carlos Payano, a lot of those guys got that opportunity because when Joan Guzman had that show, all those promoters went over there and were scouting, essentially. So, I think as far as the backing [and] the support, I think where that started was from that show. That’s the one where a lot of people started finding more interest in investing in Dominican boxers.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoan came across at a time when you had much more access to see things. He had cable, he had Internet, so he profited from that, plus he was a beautiful fighter to watch. Joan Guzman was very influential.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to change Dominican boxing,\u201c Guzman said. \u201cMy first defense of the title in the Dominican Republic, a lot of promoters were there and Dominican boxing changed. Oscar De La Hoya and a lot of good promoters were there and started signing Dominican fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Payano went on to be a two-time Olympian (2004 and ’08) and won the WBA bantamweight title in 2016.<\/p>\n
Hernandez has played a vital role in the development of the fighters who have emerged from the Dominican Republic. Few countries, if any, have had more sustained success on the amateur scene and in the Olympics than Cubans, and Hernandez brought that school of teaching to the Dominican Republic. The discipline that Hernandez has instilled in his fighters slide has extended well beyond boxing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a trainer over there, Armando Hernandez, who we’ve had since we were kids, and he implemented discipline in us,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cHe taught us discipline, and that’s why Dominican boxing is changing a lot, because we grew up with that discipline and the discipline that you need to be successful in professional boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I do my interviews, when I ask the same question you ask, his name comes up, and something specifically Elvis Rodriguez told me was he teaches you discipline,\u201d Joel said. \u201cHe teaches you how to be structured in everything, not just boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Hernandez\u2019s guidance, the Dominican Republic has produced more quality prospects and had two fighters win bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Light heavyweight Cristian Javier Pinales at light heavyweight and flyweight Yunior Alcantara Reyes became the first Dominican tandem to win medals at the same Olympics.<\/p>\n
Diaz defeated reigning gold medal winner, Thailand\u2019s Manus Boonjumnong, to win the gold at junior welterweight at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, making him the first and only fighter from the island to accomplish the feat. Pedro Nolasco was the first fighter from the Dominican Republic to medal the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles, where he won bronze at bantamweight.<\/p>\n
Corpas also credits Shuan Boxing Promotions for its role in putting on events and helping get more fighters from the Dominican Republic more opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose were pivotal moments,\u201d Corpas said of Guzman, Diaz and Shuan Boxing. \u201cThen you had all the Cuban trainers come into the Dominican Republic. Shuan Boxing, they were one of the first steady, reliable Dominican promoters that were putting on regular shows. They didn’t have any stars until recently, but you get all that work. You get all that practice and now the trainers have become better, the gyms can operate, and it has a trickle-down effect and that’s where you’ve seen a lot of that. Those are the roots, and now you see the flowers coming out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Polanco could be the future<\/p>\n
Polanco isn\u2019t far off from earning his first world title shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s definitely the highest-touted prospect,\u201d Corpas said. \u201cWhether or not he\u2019s the best for me remains to be seen, but he\u2019s definitely the highest touted. They\u2019ve really given him a lot of love and support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guzman agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRright now, Rohan is the most talented fighter I can see,\u201d Guzman said. \u201cI like the attitude he\u2019s got. He\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019m the man in the ring.\u2019 I like the attitude he\u2019s got because no one sees a Dominican fighter with this kind of attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baseball has long been the sport most synonymous with the Dominican Republic. With the success numerous boxers have had, boxing has gone from a sport one would be taking a chance on the island to a more than viable alternative.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to start in baseball, you need to have more money because you need to pay an instructor [or go to a] baseball school,\u201d Puello said. \u201cWhen we tried to go to baseball, we didn\u2019t have enough money to pay for all the things necessary to start. When we go to boxing, the teacher says you only need a coach, a pair of shoes, a shirt and you can start now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon 10 more years, boxing will be the same as baseball,\u201c Guzman said.<\/p>\n
The groundwork was laid by Teo Cruz, Leo Cruz, Guzman and other former champions and fighters who fell just short of winning a world title, making a name for themselves when it wasn\u2019t as prominent in the Dominican Republic. With the growing support of fans there and top promoters, Polanco could be the one who takes boxing to a stratosphere it has never reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing one of the faces of boxing in the Dominican Republic means proudly representing my country,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cIt involves not only the responsibility to compete and win, but also to inspire young athletes and promote boxing as a sport. It\u2019s also an opportunity to grow the sport in the nation and showcase Dominican talent to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
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