Feb 1, 2017

A group of up-and-coming female boxers in Cuba want government support to form the island’s first women’s boxing team and help dispel a decades-old belief once summed up by a former top coach: “Cuban women are meant to show the beauty of their face, not receive punches.”

: In this Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Olympic silver medalist Emilio Correa Jr., left, mentors female boxer Legnis Cala, center, at a sports center in Havana, Cuba. “They can bring more glory to the Cuban sport,” Correa said. “They are diamonds in the rough. The motor skills, the explosive nature and the energy of Cuban boxers are also present in these women.” (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, boxers Idamerys Moreno, left, and Legnis Cala, get ready for a photo session, as tourists take photos of the sunset, on Havana’s sea wall in Cuba. Female athletes in Cuba have made strides in many other sports, including wrestling, judo and most recently, weightlifting, but not in boxing. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, boxers Idamerys Moreno, left, and Legnis Cala, get ready for a photo session on Havana’s Malecon, in Cuba. Moreno trains at least two hours a day after she gets off work, completing a routine that includes running several miles, lifting weights, hitting a punching bag and sparring with both women and men. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, boxers Idamerys Moreno, second right, and Legnis Cala, right, run along Havana’s Malecon, in Cuba. Moreno and Cala are part of a group of up-and-coming female boxers on the island who want government support to form Cuba’s first female boxing team and help dispel a decades-old belief once summed up by a former top coach: “Cuban women are meant to show the beauty of their face, not receive punches.” (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 19, 2017 photo, boxer Legnis Cala’s hands grab a wall, next to boxing gloves during a warm-up prior to a training session, in Havana, Cuba. Officials have said they’re analyzing whether to allow women to box and say they are carrying out medical studies to understand the impact of blows to a woman’s body and whether such action is “appropriate.” (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 19, 2017 photo, Idanerys Moreno’s boxing gloves hang on a line to dry, after a training session in Havana, Cuba. Women were first allowed to box at the Olympics during the 2012 Summer Olympics but they are still not allowed to box in Cuba. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, boxers Idamerys Moreno, left, and Legnis Cala, train during a photo session on Havana’s sea wall, in Cuba. Moreno and Cala are part of a group of up-and-coming female boxers on the island who want government support to form Cuba’s first female boxing team and help dispel a decades-old belief once summed up by a former top coach: “Cuban women are meant to show the beauty of their face, not receive punches.” (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 19, 2017 photo, boxer Idamerys Moreno, center back, looks at children playing around, at a sports center in Havana, Cuba. Boxing has long been an athletic engine for Cuba, which has won 72 Olympic medals in that category but women are not allowed to box. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, boxers Idamerys Moreno, left, and Legnis Cala, ride home in a taxi after training, in Havana, Cuba. Female athletes in Cuba have made strides in many other sports, including wrestling, judo and most recently, weightlifting, but not in boxing. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

: In this Jan. 19, 2017 photo, boxer Legnis Cala runs up a flight of stairs in the backyard of her house, in Havana, Cuba. “I see myself at the Olympics in Japan 2020,” Moreno said. “That’s my dream.” Pictured at bottom left is boxer Idamerys Moreno. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Forming Cuba’s first women’s boxing team

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