Solis Eclipse

Cuban boxers are revered for their technique and toughness, but surprisingly, there has never been a Cuban heavyweight champion. Mostly, that’s because Fidel Castro isn’t keen on his boxers competing professionally — he’d rather keep them fighting as amateurs well into their 30s to stockpile Olympic medals. But just as one day Fidel will be KO’d for good, so too will a Cuban boxer have his shot at the one of the most coveted titles in sports. And that day could come very soon as Odlanier Solis, an Olympic-gold-medal-winning heavyweight who defected from the Communist nation in 2006, is primed to get a shot at current champ Vitali Klitschko. All that’s in his way is number-one-ranked heavyweight contender Ray Austin at American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) on Friday. Austin is a journeyman of sorts, but as boxing enthusiasts know, every fighter has his day (see Buster Douglas).

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More About

• Ray Austin
• Don King
• Odlanier Solis
• Ricardo Mayorga
• Boxing

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Solis and Austin will battle it out in the main event of Don King’s World Championship Boxing as part of a fight card that includes another Cuban defector, Angelo Santana; IBF Light Heavyweight Champ Tavoris Cloud; Colombian Fulgencio Zuniga; and Nicaraguan great Ricardo Mayorga. King, never one to shy away from a good story line, titled the fight night “A Tribute to Freedom.” Ah, King. Only in America. Tickets start at $37.80. And the fighting begins at 6 p.m. Call 800-754-3000, or visit donking.com.
Fri., Dec. 17, 6 p.m., 2010