Yuniel Dorticos

Yuniel Dorticos
Born	(1986-03-11) 11 March 1986 Havana, Cuba
Nationality	Cuban
Statistics
Weight(s)	Cruiserweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	26
Wins	24
Wins by KO	22
Losses	2
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing Cuba Cuban National Championships 2006 Bayamo Light-heavyweight 2007 Sancti Spiritus Light-heavyweight 2008 Holguin Light-heavyweight Bolivarian Games 2007 Guárico Light-heavyweight Strandzha Cup 2008 Plovdiv Light-heavyweight World Cadet Championships 2003 Bucharest Middleweight

Yuniel Dorticós Pao (born 11 March 1986) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a former two-time cruiserweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 2017 to 2018 and the IBF title from 2019 to September 2020. As of May 2020, he is ranked as the world's second best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and fourth by BoxRec.

Amateur career

He placed second three times in a row at the Cuban national championships from 2005- 2007 at light-heavyweight, each time behind Yusiel Nápoles. In 2008 he came in third, after losing to future Olympic gold medalist Julio César La Cruz in the semifinals. Dorticos represented Cuba twice in the Boxing World Cup.

World Cup results

2005 (light heavyweight)

• Defeated Elnur Kadyrov (Azerbaijan) RSC-3
• Defeated Ovidiu Chereches (Romania) RSC-2
• Lost to Yerdos Zhanabergenov (Kazakhstan) RSCI-2

2006 (light heavyweight)

• Defeated Erbol Dutbayev (Kazakhstan) RSC-OS
• Defeated Christopher Downs (United States) 39-19
• Defeated Javid Taghiev (Azerbaijan) RSC-OS
• Lost to Artur Beterbiev (Russia) RSC-1

Professional career

Early career

Dorticos defected in 2009 and began a career in the paid ranks, fighting as a cruiserweight. Dorticos slowly worked his way up the ranks, fighting outmatched opponents. He won his first 17 fights by knockout (KO). In February 2014, Dorticos defeated Hamilton Ventura in his 16th professional fight. Dorticos completely overwhelmed Ventura, knocking him down three times before the referee stopped the fight. With the win, Dorticos broke into the top 15 of the WBA and WBC.

Dorticos was knocked down for the first time in the first round of a bout against Eric Fields. He was able to dust himself off and return the knockdown towards the end of that same round. Dorticos knocked out Fields at 2 minutes 59 seconds in round four. In April 2014, Dorticos would go the distance for the first time, as Edison Miranda was able to take his power. Nevertheless, Dorticos won a wide unanimous decision (100–90, 100–90, 99–91). Dorticos sought fights against Murat Gassiev, Beibut Shumenov, and Denis Lebedev but was ultimately unable to get any of them in the ring.

WBA interim cruiserweight champion

Dorticos vs. Kalenga

Dorticos became the mandatory to the WBA's champion Denis Lebedev following a win over Fulgencio Zúñiga. However, the WBA allowed Lebedev to unify against IBF title-holder Victor Emilio Ramírez before facing Dorticos. In turn, the WBA ordered Dorticos to fight Youri Kalenga for an interim championship. The fight was due for 20 May 2016 at the Palais des Sports in Paris. This would be Dorticos' first pro bout outside the United States.

In a thrilling fight, Dorticos stopped Kalenga in the tenth round via technical knockout (TKO) to become a world champion. Dorticos dropped Kalenga in the second round after a flurry of shots. Kalenga was able to recover and get back into the fight in the middle rounds, despite receiving a cut over one of his eyes during round six. Dorticos lost a point at the end of round eight for hitting after the bell. In round ten, Dorticos once again landed a flurry a punches on Kalenga, at which point the referee stopped the fight.

Following his victory, Dorticos entered a purse bid for a fight against WBA (Regular) champion Beibut Shumenov. The fight was delayed several times, due to promotional issues before being called off due to an eye injury that Shumenov suffered during sparring. In June 2017, Shumenov vacated his title due to that same injury. The WBA elevated Dorticos from interim champion to regular champion, despite Dorticos being away from the ring for over a year.

2017-18 World Boxing Super Series

Main article: 2017–18 World Boxing Super Series – cruiserweight division

A day after being elevated to WBA (Regular) champion, Dorticos joined the World Boxing Super Series. The Super Series is a single-elimination tournament featuring 8 fighters from the cruiserweight division. The field includes title-holders from all 4 of boxing's major sanctioning bodies. Dorticos was revealed to be the tournament's 4th seed.

Dorticos vs. Kudryashov

On the tournament's draft, it was determined that Dorticos would face Dmitry Kudryashov in the quarterfinals. The fight was set for 23 September at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This will be the Super Series' first match in the United States. A percentage of the gate revenue will be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey. At the official weigh-in, Dmitry Kudryashov initially missed weight by half a pound, coming in at 200 1⁄2 lbs. However, he was able to come in at exactly 200 lbs in a second try 45 minutes later. Dorticos weighed in at 199 lbs.

On fight night, Dorticos retained his title and advanced to the semi-finals by knocking out Kudryashov in two rounds. The fight started with a slow-paced, feel out round, with both boxers studying their opponent. Dorticos successfully executed a pull counter as the bell sounded. In round two, the pace of the fight increased, with Dorticos and Kudryashov trading combinations. Eventually, Dorticos gained the upper hand by landing a series of one-two combos, as Kudryashov retreated behind his high guard. Dorticos ended the contest by knocking out Kudryashov with a right hook. The referee waived the count with a minute left in round two. Dorticos is expected to face the winner of Gassiev-Włodarczyk and stated that he would prefer to face Gassiev.

2018-19 World Boxing Super Series

Main article: 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series – cruiserweight division

Professional boxing record

26 fights	24 wins	2 losses
By knockout	22	1
By decision	2	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
26	Loss	24–2	Mairis Briedis	MD	12	26 Sep 2020	Plazamedia Broadcasting Center, Munich, Germany	Lost IBF cruiserweight title; For vacant The Ring cruiserweight title; World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight final
25	Win	24–1	Andrew Tabiti	KO	10 (12), 2:33	15 Jun 2019	Arēna Rīga, Rīga, Latvia	Won vacant IBF cruiserweight title; World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight semi-final
24	Win	23–1	Mateusz Masternak	UD	12	20 Oct 2018	CFE Arena, Orlando, Florida, U.S.	World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight quarter-final
23	Loss	22–1	Murat Gassiev	TKO	12 (12), 2:52	3 Feb 2018	Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia	Lost WBA cruiserweight title; For IBF cruiserweight title; World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight semi-final
22	Win	22–0	Dmitry Kudryashov	KO	2 (12), 2:10	23 Sep 2017	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.	Retained WBA (Regular) cruiserweight title; World Boxing Super Series: Cruiserweight quarter-final
21	Win	21–0	Youri Kayembre Kalenga	TKO	10 (12), 2:54	20 May 2016	Palais des Sports, Paris, France	Won vacant WBA interim cruiserweight title
20	Win	20–0	Fulgencio Zuniga	TKO	2 (10), 1:44	12 Dec 2015	Ring of Dreams Boxing Gym, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
19	Win	19–0	Galen Brown	TKO	1 (10), 2:29	17 Jul 2015	Kissimmee Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S.	Retained WBC Latino cruiserweight title
18	Win	18–0	Edison Miranda	UD	10	10 Jul 2014	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.	Retained WBC Latino cruiserweight title
17	Win	17–0	Eric Fields	KO	4 (10), 2:59	16 Apr 2014	Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California, U.S.	Retained WBC Latino, and WBA interim Fedalatin cruiserweight titles
16	Win	16–0	Hamilton Ventura	TKO	1 (10), 2:19	28 Feb 2014	Crowne Plaza Hotel, San Diego, California, U.S.	Won WBA interim Fedelatin cruiserweight title; Retained WBC Latino cruiserweight title
15	Win	15–0	Keith Barr	KO	2 (8), 1:19	13 Jul 2013	Hollywood Park Casino, Inglewood, California, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Willie Herring	RTD	3 (6), 3:00	22 Feb 2013	Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Livin Castillo	TKO	3 (10), 1:05	18 Nov 2011	Miami Airport Convention Center, Miami, Florida, U.S.	Won vacant WBC Latino cruiserweight title
12	Win	12–0	Jose Luis Herrera	TKO	2 (4), 2:36	25 Mar 2011	Cosmopolitan Resort, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Epifanio Mendoza	TKO	6 (6), 2:32	4 Mar 2011	Jostens Center, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Gustavo Enriquez	TKO	1 (6), 1:18	3 Dec 2010	Magic City Casino, Miami, Florida, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Robert Turner	TKO	1 (4), 1:40	15 Oct 2010	A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Tony Kern	KO	1 (4), 0:55	24 Sep 2010	Paragon Casino, Marksville, Louisiana, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Hilario Guzman	TKO	3 (4), 1:30	18 Aug 2010	Civic Center, Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Maurice Winslow	TKO	1 (4), 0:35	9 Jul 2010	Club Europe, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Carlos Reyes	TKO	1 (4), 1:53	30 Apr 2010	Convention Center, Miami, Florida, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Zack Zeigler	KO	1 (4), 1:24	10 Apr 2010	Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Gary Lavender	TKO	1 (4), 1:44	5 Feb 2010	NSU Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	George Nowell	TKO	1 (4), 1:23	4 Dec 2009	La Covacha, Miami, Florida, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Hilario Guzman	TKO	4 (4), 1:20	14 Aug 2009	Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, Florida, U.S.

See also

• List of cruiserweight boxing champions

External links

• Boxing record for Yuniel Dorticos from BoxRec (registration required)
• Yunier Dorticos Partial Record (Amateur Boxing Results)