Odlanier Solis Fonte in La Sombra, The Long Comeback Road Ahead
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
In Spanish, ‘la sombra’ means ‘the shade’. For Olympic Gold Medalist Cuban Odlanier ‘ La Sombra’ Solis Fonte, his comeback road ahead seems shaded by his one bout past.
Now 33 years old, the native of Havana, Cuba defected to the United States from the Cuban National team while in Venezuela in 2006, along with compatriots Yuriorkis Gamboa and Yan Barthelemy. Solis Fonte won the Olympic Gold Medal at Heavyweight in 2004 in Athens. With an amateur record of 347-12, Solis Fonte was a six time Cuban National Champion from 1999 to 2004, defeated such notables as David Haye, Sultan Ibragimov, Kubrat Pulev, Alexander Alekseev and Felix Savon. Solis Fonte settled in Miami, Florida, which has a significant Cuban exile community.
A winner of his first 17 professional bouts, Solis Fonte saw his career hit rock bottom on March 19, 2011, against WBC World Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on Cologne, Germany, when he went to the canvas from a glancing punch and his legs locked up. He made it to his feet, but was unable to continue, the bout ending at 2:59 of round one. A scan revealed tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and external meniscus, as well as cartilage damage in the right knee.
Since that loss, Solis Fonte has won the IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title, defeating Konstantin Airich, Keif Larsen and Yagup Saglam. The question for the 20-1 Solis Fonte his will he get another shot at the world heavyweight title? Will he get the winner of Wladimir Klitschko versus Alexander Povetkin, or will Tyson Fury or David Haye?
For Odlanier Solis Fonte, the road ahead remains a significant amount of work for his comeback to be successful. The odds against remain significant, while Solis Fonte remains the BoxRec number nine ranked world heavyweight contender. To get another world title opportunity, Solis Fonte will have to win a big fight in the near future over a big name. Then, with good health on his side, there will be no more excuses. The world will find out what he is made of.
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