Following an evening when their fortunes ebbed and flowed, Cuba came out on top thanks to victory from Arisnoydis Despaigne in the welterweight contest over Yauheni Ramashkevich to end the dreams of a home victory.

Baku Fires had gone into this second-leg 3-2 from the previous evening but levelled things up in the first contest with a win in the flyweight for Elvin Mamishzada over Cuba's Gerardo Cervantes.

Olympic gold medallist Roniel Iglesias Sotolong put Cuba back in the front by beating Mahamed Nurudzinau in the welterweight contest only for Baku Fires' Russian import Albert Selimov to win his featherweight contest against Cuba's two-time world champion Lazaro Alvarez.

Arslanbek Makhmudov had put Baku Fires 5-4 up with victory over Cuba's José Angel Larduet in their super-heavyweight contest ©WSB

Arslanbek Makhmudov then retained his unbeaten record in this season's WSB by battering José Angel Larduet in their super-heavyweight contest to put Baku Fires ahead on the night and 5-4 overall.

That heaped the pressure on Cuba's team captain Julio Cesar De La Cruz in the light-heavyweight contest against Baku Fires' Mikhail Dauhaliavets.

The two-time world champion, including having won here in 2011, needed to win to keep Cuba in the contest, knowing a loss would have given the title to Azerbaijan.

The Cuban put on a boxing clinic against his brave opponent, using incredible footwork and head movement, teamed with sharp shots and dynamic reflexes to cap a remarkable comeback after his season had been in jeopardy following an incident in January when he had been shot in his left hip in his home town of Camagüey. 

The frantic contest between Despaigne and Ramashkevich in the sudden-death bout demonstrated what was at stake but in the end the Cuban's superior technique overcame the passion of the home fighter.

Cuba clinched victory with a win in the sudden-death welterweight contest for Arisnoydis Despaigne over Baku Fires Yauheni Ramashkevich ©WSB

Cuba's victory was also a personal triumph for International Boxing Association President C K Wu, who had travelled to Havana last year to persuade the Government to end its half-a-century ban on professional boxing and enter the WSB.

"I'm very happy," Wu told insidethegames.

"This is an historic moment for boxing.

"Cuba have proved how strong they are by embracing the World Series of Boxing."

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