Change can be a blessing or a curse, sometimes both.

Veteran promoter Luis DeCubas Sr. has seen a lot across five decades in the sport of boxing. He is glad to see that fighters’ purses have substantially increased, but he has also seen activity amongst those fighters decrease throughout the years.

“When I first started out, when someone fought for a world title belt, it was for little money,” the veteran promoter told The Ring. “If you lost, you went to the end of the line, so to speak. It was the same with fighters who were promoted by Bob Arum, Don King, or Main Events. A loss meant starting over.

“Now fighters are being paid more. Fighters are getting more in their purses. When (Julio Cesar) Chavez fought (Hector) Camacho (in 1992), the combined purse for both fighters was $5.5 million. Now a huge, significant fight would have a fighter earning $20-25 million. Even during the 1980s, you kept a boxer active by fighting five, six times a year. He would be paid about $15,000 a fight.”

Arum is in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. So is Don King. Both continue to promote to this day, now into their 90s. DeCubas is 66 and is still involved in the sport, working with promoter Leon Margules and Warriors Boxing. He has over 40 years in the sport, serving as a promoter since 1982.

And now, DeCubas himself is on the ballot to be inducted into IBHOF. Many have vouched for him, as he has promoted some of the biggest fight cards in the sport and has worked with some of the best in boxing.

DeCubas Sr. and Jr. flank Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas after their 2021 fight, which Ugas won by unanimous decision. (Photo courtesy Team DeCubas)

Currently DeCubas represents David Morrell, the unbeaten super middleweight contender who holds the WBA secondary title. Morrell is rated No. 4 by The Ring at 168 pounds. 

“David is one of my better projects,” said DeCubas, who also promoted former WBA junior lightweight and Ring/WBC lightweight champion Joel Casamayor from the first to last fight of his career. “We had him fight for the WBA interim world title after two pro fights. 

“We moved him to Minneapolis, where fans embraced Latin American baseball players like Tony Oliva. David has literally grown up and created a great fan base in Minneapolis. When David fights, there are sell-out crowds at The Armory. The fans have fallen in love with him. He was born in Cuba, but it is not always good to have Cubans in Miami, as there’s distractions. I’m glad we made that move to have David live, train and fight in Minneapolis.”

Morrell and Casamayor are a handful of fighters from Cuba to have been promoted or represented by DeCubas. Former unified junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux is another.

DeCubas with then-future junior middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara in 2011. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/WireImage/Gettyimages)

“We were able to have Guillermo fight for a world title belt after his fifth fight,” said DeCubas. Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was at one point considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Today, besides Morrell, DeCubas still works with fighters from Cuba. He is fond of unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Yoenis Tellez, who stepped in as a late replacement to face Sergio Garcia on July 29 and scored a stoppage in the third round. 

“Even though Yoenis had a record of 5-0, Yoenis had over 400 amateur fights,” said DeCubas. “We were confident in his ability. Some thought Garcia would overwhelm Yoenis, but Yoenis did exceptionally well. He won by knockout and did so before the fight between (Terence) Crawford and (Errol) Spence.”

One of the most celebrated fighters DeCubas ever worked with was Roberto Duran. 

Both DeCubas and Duran were down on their luck in the late 1980s. DeCubas was able to secure a fight against then-WBC middleweight titleholder Iran Barkley in February 1989. 

Duran would rally late in the fight to win a split-decision victory.

“I was told not to work with Roberto, that he was bad luck and difficult to work with. We were both broke and I think people thought Iran was going to win convincingly, taking the fight. 

“To me, having Roberto win that fight, and then the build-up, that’s one of my greatest accomplishments. Actually, not a lot of people know this, but Roberto told me afterwards that he had to slug it out because the foam padding of the canvas would’ve made it difficult to box. Roberto told me he would’ve gotten tired. He made that decision to brawl in the middle of the fight.”

DeCubas’ legacy continued with his son, Luis Jr. Reflecting on a career that involved peaks and valleys, he is grateful for the opportunity to have presented so many great fighters. 

After contemplating who were some of his favorites, DeCubas mentioned three greats.

“Duran, No. 1. Wilfredo Gomez, who made 12 successful title defenses, and Eusebio Pedraza of Panama. Great fighters. Great people.

“It’s a complete fight game today, but I’ve always wanted the best for the fighters I’ve represented.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow @FSalazarBoxing

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