"Aragon! Must win!"
"Aragon! Champion!"
The social and cultural center venue was packed to its brim half an hour before the match. Nearly twenty thousand seats were filled across three levels, even the small open area around the boxing ring was occupied by media reporters, as well as tourists and Cuban wealthy who were willing to spend a hefty sum to watch the match.
Only ten minutes before the match was due to start, HBO's cameras had not been turned on, and the sports channel's host, Steve Mandanda, wandered beneath the stage empty-handed with yellow-brown sweat stains soaking his shirt collar and his forehead dripping with sweat.
The reason was simple. HBO was originally scheduled to broadcast this match and had already communicated with Cuban officials before arriving, agreeing to pay a broadcast fee. However, just before the match was to start, the Cuban officials suddenly retracted their permission, not allowing the broadcast of the match.