Yoandri Salinas

Career

Salinas sensationally lost in 2005 to 16-year-old Rosniel Iglesias but beat Andry Laffita 2006 and 2007 at the National championships and therefore represented Cuba at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games where he lost the final (6:5) to Dominican Juan Carlos Payano. In 2008 he tried the bantamweight division at the national championships but lost early to Osieres Hernández. In this division he now has Olympic silver medalist Yankiel León in front of him.

He turned professional in 2009 at junior-featherweight.

He faced Scott Quigg for the WBA super-bantamweight championship in Manchester on 28 September 2013. The fight resulted in a draw.

Achievements

• In 2006 he won a tournament called "Cuban Olympics" by edging out (smaller) junior flyweight superstar Zou Shiming in the final. At the Pan American Games 2007 he lost due to head injury to eventual winner McWilliams Arroyo. He won 20 of his first 21 contests, the only blemish on his record being a draw against Nehomar Cermeno in Panama City in October 2011.