Having automatically advanced to the semi-finals, after topping Group A with an unbeaten record, the Domadores underlined their status as tournament favourites by whitewashing the Guerreros in the semi-final first leg, who had been forced to come through a quarter-final tie against the Azerbaijan Baku Fires to reach the last four.

Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez ensured the Domadores began the semi-final in style in front of their home crowd, as the 18-year-old took control of his 49 kilogram light flyweight contest against Mexican debutant Jose Daniel Rojas Romero, with the judges awarding the Cuban all three rounds.

London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez and two-time International Boxing Association (AIBA)  World Championship silver medallist Yasnier Toledo recording unanimous points victories over Ivan Jesus Delgado and Roberto Zariñana Gomez in the 56kg bantamweight and 64kg light welterweight division respectively.

With the first three fights ending in victory for their boxers, the Domadores were looking likely to put the tie beyond the Guerreros by the end of the first leg and Arlen Lopez brought the prospect even closer to fruition as the Cuban used his height advantage over Misael Uriel Rodríguez Oliva to good effect to claim a unanimous victory in the 75kg lightweight division.

The 91kg heavyweight contest was likely to be a far closer affair, with the Domadores’ Erislandy Savon and the Guerreros’ overseas fighter Julio Cesar Castillo Torres of Ecuador boasting unbeaten records in this year’s WSB.

With the crowd expecting a spectacular encounter, Savon added to the atmosphere by vaulting into the ring.

The Cuban then claimed the opening round on the judges’ scorecards, despite appearing to be knocked down by Torres, and he earned a technical knock-out victory in the second round after his Ecuadorian opponent was forced to withdraw with an injury to his nose.

The comfortable victory saw the Cuban dream of retaining their title take a giant step forward, as due to the Guerreros’ light heavyweight boxer Carlos Mina being unable to weigh-in and compete in the second leg, the Domadores’ first leg advantage is unassailable and assures them of a place in the final.

While tonight’s second leg effectively amounts to being a dead rubber, the Domadores will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten record in the WSB this season, having won 15 consecutive matches.

Following the conclusion of their semi-final, the Domadores will turn their attention to who they will face in the final, as the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan are set to take on The Russian Boxing team in their two-legged tie due to take place at the National Tennis Centre, Astana, on Saturday and Sunday (May 23 and 24).

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan will start the tie as favourites having topped Group B with 14 wins and only one defeat, while the Russian Boxing team will be hoping to build upon their 9-1 quarter-final triumph over Italia Thunder.

Astana Arlans’ as yet unbeaten heavyweight Vassiliy Levit will face the Russian Boxing Team’s Vitaly Kudukhov in arguably the highlight of the first leg, with both teams aiming to go one step further than 2014, where they bowed out at the semi-final stage.

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