Roniel Iglesias added his name to Cuba's Olympic boxing hall of fame after winning a second gold medal on Tuesday, as women fighters voiced their determination to get more girls into the sport.
The 32-year-old Iglesias put on a masterclass to defeat British hope Pat McCormack on unanimous points and claim the welterweight title in style in Tokyo.
Iglesias has now won three Olympic medals, adding Tokyo gold to his London 2012 light-welterweight gold and bronze at Beijing 2008.
In doing so he joins a star cast of Cuban boxers to seal a hat-trick of Olympic boxing medals. They also include Felix Savon (three gold), Teofilo Stevenson (three gold) and Lazaro Alvarez (three bronze).
Iglesias, who failed to win a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, said he does not plan to stop there and is already eyeing the Paris 2024 Games.
He said that, following injury and his disappointment in Rio, some people in Cuba had written him off.
"There are always fans who have their opinions and it is true that many people thought that Roniel would not make it in these Games," he said.
"Many people said that this was the end of the line for me.
"But only us boxers know what is happening, we know the injuries that we suffer and what we have to overcome.
"I always knew that I had it in me. Now those doubters have been proven wrong and those who believed in me were right."
The knockers spurred on him, said Iglesias.
"That was an extra push for me to get up every morning and give that extra bit of effort," he added.
-AFP
