Osmay Acosta

Osmay Acosta Méndez Duarte (born April 3, 1985) is a Cuban former amateur boxer, who competed between 2001 and 2010, best known to win the 2007 PanAm Games at Heavyweight with 201 lbs (91 kg) limit.

Acosta is a 1,85 m tall fighter, a southpaw, who won the 165 lbs world cadet championships 2001 vs Zaur Teymurov and

Cuban National Youth Championships (75 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, May 2001:

XXXVII Cuban National School Games (75 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, July 2001:

World Cadet Championships (75 kg), Baku, Azerbaijan, October 2001:

became the junior world champion at 75 kg/165 lbs in 2002 in Santiago de Cuba beating Russian Nikolai Galacki 10:9, Uzbek Alisher Matniazov KO, and Kazack Dmitriy Gotfrid in the final 14:8.

VIII Roberto Balado Memorial (75 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 2002:

World Youth Championships (75 kg), Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, November 2002:

IX Roberto Balado Memorial (81 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 2003:

XLIII Playa Girón (81 kg), Camagüey, Cuba, January 2004

At senior level he first struggled badly, in 2005 he was disqualified at the nationals at 178 lbs.

XLIV Playa Girón (81 kg), Pinar del Río, Cuba, January 2005:

At the national senior championships ("Playa Girón") 2006 he was beaten inside the distance by Odlanier Solis in an attempt to compete at super heavyweight so he dropped down to 201 lbs where he won the 2006 Central American Games.

He was part of the Cuban team that won the 2006 Boxing World Cup.

XLV Playa Girón (+91 kg), Bayamo, Cuba, January 2006:

III Cuban Olympiad (91 kg), Havana, Cuba, April 2006:

China–Cuba Duals (91 kg), Havana, Cuba, May 2006:

XX Central American and Caribbean Games, Cartagena, Colombia, July 2006:

World Cup (91 kg), Baku, Azerbaijan, October 2006:

He became national champion at 201 lbs vs. Ismaikel Perez in 2007 and defeated southpaw Adam Willett 22:3 in the PanAm qualifier.

He won the 2007 PanAm games stopping local favourite Rafael Lima in the semifinals and easily beating Jose Julio Payares of Venezuela 11:3 (including a knockdown) in the finals.

At the Nations Cup he beat Alexander Povernov 14:8, at the Ahmet Comert Cup 2007 he defeated European Champion Denis Poyatsika.

He would have been one of the top favorites at the world championships 2007 but Cuba didn't participate.

XLVI Playa Girón (91 kg), Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, January 2007:

I Pan American qualifier (91 kg), Barquisimeto, Venezuela, February 2007:

XXVI Independence Cup (91 kg), Santiago, Dominican Republic, February 2007:

National match-up (91 kg), Havana, Cuba, March 2007:

National match-up (91 kg), Havana, Cuba, April 2007:

France–Cuba Duals (91 kg), Amiens, France, April 2007:

Nations Cup (91 kg), Calais, France, April 2007:

Romania–Cuba Duals (91 kg), Bucharest, Romania, May 2007:

XXII Ahmet Comert Memorial (91 kg), Istanbul, Turkey, May 2007:

XXXVIII Giraldo Córdova Cardín (91 kg), Santa Clara, Cuba, May 2007:

XV Pan American Games (91 kg), Río de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2007:

Cuban National Team Championships (91 kg), Havana, Cuba, November 2007:

Acosta was undefeated for more than a year then was upset at the 2008 Strandzha Cup by an unknown Scotsman Stevie Simmons and struggled at the National Championships.

He qualified for Beijing by winning the first Olympic qualifier by beating fellow-qualifier Deontay Wilder in the final.

At the Olympics he lost to the eventual Russian winner Chakhkeiv.

XLVI Playa Girón (91 kg), Holguín, Cuba, January 2008:

At the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships he defeated John M'Bumba but lost the final to fellow southpaw Egor Mekhontsev and won silver.