Report/Photos: David Finger

The conclusion of business at noon on day two of the 30th annual WBO congress gave most of the members time to explore the city through an organized tour with Norwegian Sky, but a handful of officials weren’t about to pass up a stop in boxing’s Mecca without an opportunity to visit of the the sports most storied gyms: the Rafael Trejo Gimnasio Boxeo in downtown Havana.

Daniel Sandoval, a referee from the Southwest, and Benoit Roussel, a boxing judge from Montreal Quebec, brought with them some boxing equipment (including hand wraps, mouth guards, and boxing gloves) which they donated to the gym. The donations were quickly distributed to the children assembled for the afternoon workout.

Also present on behalf of the WBO were WBO Vice President Leon Panoncillo (head of WBO Asia-Pacific and WBO Africa), executive committee member Danny Leigh from Australia, judge Deon Dwarte from South Africa, and Isaac Dogboe, the undefeated #3 ranked junior featherweight and reigning WBO international champion.

Dogboe took advantage of his visit to the historic Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym (which has played a major role in producing Cuba’s 38 Olympic gold medalist) to work out with the Cuban trainers present, getting several rounds of pad work in before the gym closed.