Yunier Dorticos

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)

2006 (light heavyweight)

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. On 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 WBC and the WBA.

Dorticos was knocked down for the first time against on 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 2:59 in round 4. On 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.

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 Víctor Emilio Ramírez before facing Dorticos. In turn, the WBA ordered Dorticos to fight Youri Kalenga for an interim championship. The fight was due for May 20, 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 10th round via 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 6. Dorticos lost a point at the end of round 8 for hitting after the bell. In round 10, 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 befored being called off due to an eye injury that Shumenov suffered during sparring. On 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.

World Boxing Super Series

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 tourament'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 September 23 on the Alamodome. 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 just 2 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 2, 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 2. Dorticos is expected to face the winner of Gassiev-Włodarczyk. Dorticos stated that he would prefer to face Gassiev.