_3.jpg)
Two-time lightweight world champion Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (29-1-1, 15 KOs) has reunited with his original head trainer when he turned pro in 2009, Orlando Cuellar, for his July 30th fight airing on Showtime against undefeated 2016 US Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
A celebrated Cuban amateur boxer who relocated to Miami, Barthelemy had Cuellar in his corner for his first 14 pro fights (14-0) until he moved to Las Vegas. Barthelemy is back in southern Florida, and he recently met with Cuellar to discuss their reunion.
“He knew that he’d have an advantage with us working together again because I know him well and we’ve always had chemistry and success,” Cuellar explained.
“I trained him for the first half of his pro career and helped him turn pro. When I first started training him, he was a pure boxer. I showed him how to work the middle and inside distances, using fast combinations to the head, and get in big body shots. We did a lot of body work. I remember things came very naturally to him when I showed him what we needed. I wanted his ring name to be ‘The Natural’ but he would become ‘Kid Blast,’ which also fits him very well.
“Through the years, he’s acquired a high-level ring IQ at top level success using his counterpunching with speed and power. Training is going as good as expected and we’re bringing his A game!”
Cuba native Cuellar, a Florida Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, will be returning home to his roots in New York City, where he started his career as a boxing trainer. The veteran trainer is best known for his work with world champions Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver.