Sport occupies an important place in Cuba’s educational system. Along with baseball, boxing is considered to be the country’s top sport with a long tradition of producing high-level athletes winning international acclaim and titles.

In April 2016, a month after US President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba, I travelled to Havana for a job assignment. Despite the time constraints and difficulties in gaining access, in one of my outings I came across “Rafael Trejo”, a historic gym that has long served as an incubator for young talents.

The gym is as revolutionary as the man it was named after: Rafael Trejo Gonzalez, who was killed leading students protests in 1930 against the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado.. The bloody crackdown by security forces shocked the nation, marking a turning point for the dictatorship and eventually leading to the end of Machado’s rule.

Respected coach Nardo Mestre Flores has described “Rafael Trejo” as Cuba’s most important gym – a place that has long been tasked with keeping the country’s rich boxing culture alive.

In 1961, the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro banned professional sport, including boxing. A few years ago, however, the rules prohibiting professional sport were relaxed.

There are currently more than 20,000 boxers in Cuba, as well as some 500 coaches and about 200 training facilities.