Sometimes dreams have a habit of being kicked and stomped on, and it does not really have that much to do with the dreamer. Luis “Cuba” Arias was once one of the greatest amateur prospects in the United States but fell into a few managerial snafus that arrested his growth. Now the 25-year-old, 5-foot-11 middleweight finds himself rebuilding what should have happened years ago.
Arias hopes the reset button does not have to be pushed again after he takes on Brazilian Gilberto Santos (11-1, 8 KOs) on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
He had to wade through some issues early on. Arias had plans of fighting for the U.S. Olympic team that headed to London in 2012, but a paperwork mix-up scuttled those ideas. Then, he was making progress with Mayweather Promotions, under retired pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., when a squabble between Mayweather’s people and those Arias brought to the table led to his departure there. Every time it seemed he was heading in a positive direction, something happened to pull him down.
In February 2012, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a statement saying Arias was suspended for a year for violating whereabouts requirements three times in 18 months. Arias felt the suspension placed a stain on his name.
“It sounded worse than what it was,” Arias said. “The reason I got suspended was I failed to fill out the paperwork. They’re called ‘Whereabouts forms.’ When you’re with the national team, you have to fill out paperwork telling USADA where you’re going to be every day for the next three months. I filled out the paperwork three times a year. It said that I was training in Milwaukee, when I was actually training in Las Vegas. I failed to notify them, and that gave me a strike. It was paperwork. In the amateurs, it was all paperwork. I got the USADA suspension for one year, and I decided to turn pro. I had no choice. I wasn’t going to stick around for 2016. My goal was the 2012 Olympics and get the gold and then turn pro.”
That was when he began working with Mayweather Promotions, through former heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman. Arias sparred with Mayweather to prepare him for his May 5, 2012 fight against Miguel Cotto, and “Money” liked what he saw from the young fighter. Before long, Mayweather Promotions began giving Arias fights. His first 10 fights were under the Mayweather banner, but a schism emerged between Mayweather and the group to which Arias was associated.
“Floyd basically released me out of nowhere; I was undefeated and doing my part, and I was taking fights and doing everything they asked,” Arias said. “Floyd had problems with some people who I was close with, which didn’t involve me at all, but I got the bad end of the deal. I’m with Rick Torres now and trained by John David Jackson. I’m fighting. I can’t complain. As long as I keep doing my part, everything will play out. I didn’t miss any time out of the ring when I was going through the managerial thing, but I did have to restart and had to go back to fighting six-rounders.”
Jackson feels Arias has a lot going for him. He should know. Jackson is one of the better trainers in the sport and deals with some of the top fighters in the world.
“Luis had a great extensive amateur career, and I saw he was a tremendous body puncher, but he didn’t go to the body,” Jackson said. “Whatever I showed him to work on, he did it. The kid can fight. If he’s moved correctly and Roc Nation realizes the talent the kid has, he can be a world champion. Roc Nation needs to realize Luis is a TV fighter now. The only thing he needs is TV exposure. I want him to be tested against a good, credible middleweight with a good name; and he’ll pass the test, trust me. The kid wants everybody, but he’ll get his time. The kid has the drive and determination to be a world champion. Now is his time. He’s not afraid to fight anyone. He just needs the opportunity.”
Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.