Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Dong Liang) news: On the afternoon of April 16, 2024, inside the training hall of the Boxing Management Center of Xinjiang Sport Administration, the sounds of boxing gloves clashing with muscles were accompanied by the occasional sharp exhalations of exertion from the boxers. Luisbey Sanchez held a stopwatch in one hand while continuously urging the athletes on in simple Chinese phrases, like "jiakuai (faster)" and "jianchi (keep up)."

In June 2023, after concerted efforts from multiple parties, Luisbey Sanchez and his compatriot Dagoberto Capote traveled far away and arrived in Xinjiang, China, taking charge of training the youth team and the main team of the Xinjiang boxing squad, respectively.

Photo taken on April 16, 2024 shows Cuban coach Luisbey Sanchez (first from right) leads the Xinjiang youth boxing team and female team members in training. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Dong Liang)

Cuba is one of the world powerhouses in the sport of boxing, with Cuban male athletes winning gold medals in the 63kg, 69kg, 81kg, and 91kg weight classes at the Tokyo Olympics, dominating in these categories.

Boxing is a traditionally strong event in Xinjiang. Over the years, the Xinjiang boxing team has produced numerous outstanding athletes, such as Maimaitituersun Qiong and Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan, who have represented China in various international competitions and consistently achieved remarkable results.

In 2021, Xinjiang boxer Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan represented China at the Tokyo Olympics but was eliminated in the second round by the eventual gold medalist, Hebert Sousa of Brazil, missing out on a spot in the top eight. Following the competition, Abduxkur Mijit, the director of the Boxing Management Center of Xinjiang Sport Administration, acknowledged that Xinjiang boxing had reached a bottleneck and needed a change. He advocated learning from stronger boxing teams and, building on the existing training system, further enriching and innovating to achieve breakthroughs.

After an extended period of collaboration with Cuban boxing authorities, and under the recommendation of Fernandez Liranza Raul Angel, the new coach of the Chinese national boxing team and former coach of the Cuban boxing team, Sanchez, who served as the head coach of Cuban national youth team for about eight years, and Carpote, the head coach of Havana boxing team, came to China’s Xinjiang.

Photo shows coach Sanchez personally takes the field to conduct pad work practice for the athletes. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Dong Liang)

With their guidance, Xinjiang's boxing scene swiftly underwent a transformation. In November 2023, the Xinjiang male and female youth boxing teams competed in the inaugural Student (Youth) Games of China, securing two golds, one silver, and one bronze. By the end of December, 2023, without the participation of national team athletes, the Xinjiang boxing team further showcased their prowess by winning three golds, one silver, and one bronze at the national championships.

When the reporter visited the Boxing Management Center of Xinjiang Sport Administration, he found the women's team and the men's youth team under the tutelage of Sanchez, engaging in combination attack and counter-attack sparring drills. After each round of sparring, Sanchez would call one or two athletes into the ring for a continuous three-minute pad work, focusing on offense and defense.

Despite his slightly portly figure, his footwork remains remarkably nimble, and his pad-holding movements are anything but slow. Following a series of straight punches, the athletes execute pendulum dodges before countering with a combination of hooks and swings. Each group of athletes are drenched in sweat and gasping for air when they step down from the ring.

"The children in Xinjiang have excellent physical qualities, making them particularly suited for boxing," Sanchez remarked, emphasizing "strong" three times and gesturing towards his own upper arm muscles to illustrate that the region's youth are tall and, influenced by dietary habits, have well-developed skeletal and muscular systems. This contributes to impressive explosive power and coordination.

"The only thing that needs improvement is endurance training," he added. "To maintain their advantage in several rounds of intense punching, they must have enough stamina to sustain their performance without losing ground."

Photo shows Xinjiang boxing team at the inaugural Student (Youth) Games of China in 2023. (Photo provided by the team)

"Under the Cuban coach's training, I feel more energetic, my footwork is nimbler, and my ability to attack has continuously improved," said Mubalake Rehemanjiang, an 18-year-old member of the Xinjiang women's boxing team. Having joined the team less than a year ago, she has made significant progress under coach Sanchez. Last year, when she first joined, she participated in the National Student (Youth) Games with the team. Despite having the upper hand for the first two rounds of her first match, she lost in the final round due to insufficient stamina. "If it were now, I would definitely win that match."

Although Sanchez is very strict in training and the workouts he arranges are intense, his cheerful personality has quickly endeared him to the youth. "He often tells jokes and plays pranks with us outside of training, and everyone really likes him," shared Ayiersi Kanjiebayi, a 16-year-old team member. To communicate better with the coach, 17-year-old Saerdaer Ahati has taught himself English and has become Sanchez's "temporary translator."

Sanchez believes that the youth in Xinjiang share many similarities with the children from his hometown, such as a love for singing, dancing, and sports, coupled with a genuine passion for boxing. However, the difference lies in the discipline of the local youth.

"In Cuba, kids would arrive at the training hall leisurely, sometimes even after the training had already started. But here in China’s Xinjiang, the children are already prepared in the hall before the scheduled time." Sanchez thinks this is an important factor that gives him great optimism about the future of Xinjiang boxing.

"The boxers in Xinjiang have the potential to grow into world-class fighters," he expressed. He is confident that the Xinjiang boxing team will continue to supply the national team with outstanding boxers like Tuohetaerbieke, who are capable of achieving excellent results for Chinese boxing in international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Championships.

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