BERLIN. May 4: Despite being staggered by two recent doping scandals. Cuban boxers will climb into (he ring this weekend intent on continuing their country's domination of the World Amateur Champion ships, reports Reuter.

Tlie nine day event starting on Saturday has attracted a record 400 competitors from 61 countries looking for titles in 1'^ weight classes.

Cuba, who have ruled over Ihe amateur boxing scene for two decades, will be hoping lo avoid the doping problems that have plagued them during the past few inonlhs as they seek their seventh team little in eight championships

Al the last championships two years ago In Finland. Cuban lighters claimed a record eight gold medals 11 ol 12 fighters making it through lo llie finals

The Caribbean nation, how ever, is expected to have a much tougher time repeating or bettering that effort in Berlin with drug problems hav Ing already knocked out one former and one reigning world champion

Three weeks ago. five Cuban fighters including former world bantamweight champion Enrique Carrion, received two-year suspension from the internaUonal Ama four Boxing AssociaUon (IABA) after testing positive for the banned substance furosemide a diretic whisk can be used to lose weight quickly or mask steroid use

Last November world fly weight champion Waldemar

Font and teammate Manuel Mantilla Rodriquez, gold medalist at last year's Goodwill Games, tested positive for the same subslance and were handed identical suspension.

The latest in a long list of controversies to hit the sport. Ihe use of furosemide is not isolated on the Caribbean island

Al last year's Commonwealth Games Ghana's f'-edson Sawah was stripped of his bantamweight bronze medal after testing positive for the

same substance.

Winners of seven gold medals at the 1992 Olympics, the Cubans were scarcely affected by the drug problems at the Pan Am Games in March as they tuned up for the champi-onsliips by claiming 1 1 of 12 golds.

Heavyweight Felix Savon will once again lead the Cubans Ihto the ring as the Olympic champion goes after an un-pre—J-:-'ed fifth world title.

Doping problems aside. Russia are expected to provide the biggest threat to the Cuban supremacy.

Floored by the political and financial turmoil created by the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russians are only now beginning to get back on their feet.

Although Russia failed to win a single gold medal at the 1993 championships. Russian boxers pounded their way to five titles at last year's Goodwill Games. Just one less than Cuba's six. While Russian boxing appears poised for a comeback, there are no such indications for the United States

Building towards the 1996 Atlanta Olympics American boxers have taken It on the chin at recent major competitions.

Once ranked among the top contending nations, the US was held to one gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic limited to a silver and two bronze at Ihe last worlds and most re -ently were utterly domlngfed by the Cubans at the Pan AOi