The Cuba Domadores were in inspired form as they clinched a 5-0 whitewash victory ©WSB

The Cuba Domadores virtually guaranteed their place in this season’s World Series of Boxing (WSB) final after they whitewashed the Uzbek Tigers 5-0 in the first leg of their last four clash at the Coliseo Ciudad Deportiva in Havana.

The hosts, winners of the Series in 2014 and runners-up last year, will officially secure their spot in the competition’s showpiece finale if they pick up one win in the second leg at the same venue tomorrow.

The Uzbek Tigers will need to make history if they are to upset the odds and compete for the Season VI crown as they require a whitewash of their own against the Cuban outfit in the return fixture, which has never been achieved before.

Light flyweight star Joahnys Oscar Argilagos got the Domadores off to the best possible start in the opening bout of the night as he breezed to a confident success over Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov.

Argilagos took the fight to his opponent from the outset and put his team 1-0 up after the judges awarded him the contest by unanimous decision.

The Cubans doubled their lead in the second match-up of the semi-final as number-one ranked bantamweight Murodjon Akhmadaliev was unable to compete against reigning Olympic champion Robeisy Ramirez due to injury, leaving the Tigers with a mountain to climb.

The Cuba Domadores are virtually guaranteed a place in the final for the third consecutive year after winning all five bouts of the first leg against the Uzbek Tigers in the first leg of their semi-final in Havana ©WSB
The Cuba Domadores are virtually guaranteed a place in the final for the third consecutive year after winning all five bouts of the first leg against the Uzbek Tigers in the first leg of their semi-final in Havana ©WSB

The home country then ensured they would head into the second leg with an advantage as Luis Oliva overcame Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in their light welterweight clash, again by unanimous decision.

The Uzbek Tigers still harboured hopes of reducing the deficit to give themselves a chance of booking a surprise berth in the final but they fell 4-0 behind on the night when reigning International Boxing Association (AIBA) world middleweight champion Arlen Lopez proved far too strong for Ulugbek Khakberdiev.

Lopez came firing out of the blocks, delivering a series of well-executed shots before stopping the Tigers fighter in the first round.

The impressive showing from the Domadores, clearly keen to wrestle back the WSB title they lost to Astana Arlans Kazakhstan last year, was then rounded off by heavyweight Erislandy Savon, who beat former AIBA junior world champion Mirzobek Khasanov to complete a 5-0 triumph.

The second semi-final, between British Lionhearts and Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, is due to take place in London’s York Hall on May 26 and 27.