BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cuban head coach Pedro Roque on Wednesday denied his Olympic boxing team as young and inexperienced, saying that opponents would have to go all out to fight the Cubans.
Cuban boxing lost five Athens Olympic champions - four turned professional and one hung up his gloves.
"We had to revamp our whole team just one year ahead of the (Beijing) Olympic Games," said the coach at Ditan gymnasium. However, the Cuban boxers are not affected, according to Roque.
"In Cuban boxing, there is a big competition for places and everybody wants to be the best of our country," said the coach. "Our boxers don't feel they are just replacing the defectors. They feel that now they have their chance to shine at the Olympics."
"Fortunately, the Olympic spirit is gaining ground over professionalism," he added.
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