As if by coincidence, US President Barack Obama announced what appears to be a formal thawing of relations with Cuba on the day that we were due to speak to filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler about his new documentary Split Decision.
The film looks at the sporting relationship between both countries, threaded through the fabric of sport.
"This is a momentous change that could affect all Cubans. It's really unprecedented since the embargo began," said Butler.
Symptomatic of the stark choice faced by Cubans vis a vis the US, was the choice to flee the country with the prospect of never seeing family members again - a decision that was avoided by late three-time Olympic gold medalist Teófilo Stevenson, who we discussed with Butler during the summer.
In contrast, two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux defected to the USA in 2009 and was branded a "traitor" by the Cuban regime.
"The cost was he left a family behind, he lost a mother, a father, a wife and two kids so it was tremendously emblematic of Cuba's answer to Sophie's Choice that so many Cubans are confronted with," said Butler of a country which has seen one million people leave the Caribbean island since Fidel Castro came to power in the 1950s.
But he believes the recent thawing of US-Cuban relations could see some changes, which maybe down the line could allow Cuban fighters to go pro - which is more important for fighters thinking of leaving the island, rather than political and social conditions.
Listen to the full interview via the podcast.
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