Eight Paris 2024 Olympic quota places were secured today by athletes from 6 different countries at the Boxing Road to Paris Americas qualification tournament held at the Centro de Entrenamiento in Santiago, Chile.
A total of 30 quota places are available at this event: 4 quotas in the Women’s 57kg and 60kg, 2 quotas in all other women’s events (50kg, 54kg, 66kg, 75kg), and 2 quotas in each of the 7 men’s events. This means that all semifinalists in the Women’s 57kg and 60kg events are guaranteed a ticket to Paris, while in all other categories, reaching the finals is the sole path to Olympic qualification.
In the Women’s 60kg category, 23-year-old Angie Paola VALDES PANA from Barranquilla, Colombia, became the first boxer to secure a Paris 2024 quota place. She outscored Venezuela’s Krisandy Yusbeidi RIOS OJEDA in the evening session with a score of 3:1. With her main goal achieved, she looks forward to the upcoming semifinal match where she’ll face Ecuador’s Maria Jose PALACIOS ESPINOZA, who stunned Victoria Oriana SAPUTO of Argentina with a 5:0 win, securing a quota place and a spot in the medal match.
In the same weight category, Jajaira GONZALEZ representing the United States of America also secured a quota place for her country with a maximum-point unanimous decision win over Camila Paola PINEIRO MUINO of Uruguay. In the semifinals, she will face the formidable opponent Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Beatriz Iasmin SOARES FERREIRA (BRA), who cleared her bout against Pamela Esperanza SANCHEZ VALDIVIA (CRC) in less than 3 minutes, overwhelming her before the referee stopped the contest in round 1 at 2:45. As a result, the Brazilian talent qualifies for her second Olympic Games in her career.
Moving to the Men’s 71kg event, Eduardo Teodoro BECKFORD CHAMBERS (PAN) and Jhonatan ARBOLEDA CHALA (COL) met in a fierce ring clash. The boxer from Panama started impressively, earning five 10/9 scores from all the judges. In the second round, the Colombian counterattacked to take the round. With both athletes giving it all in the final round, some heavy punches from BECKFORD CHAMBERS to his opponent’s face forced the referee to stop the contest, awarding him the victory. Advancing to the semifinal, the Panamanian boxer will face off against the young Mexican talent Marco Alonso VERDE ALVAREZ, who outclassed Omari JONES (USA) with a unanimous decision victory.
At the bottom side of the brackets, Canada’s idol Junior PEKA PETANQUI emerged victorious in his quarterfinal match against the 2022 South American Games bronze medalist Christiann Jose PALACIO MEDINA (VEN). Exceptional combinations were executed by both athletes, but the Canadian got the better, claiming a 4:1 victory on points. He is now one win away from the coveted Paris 2024 quota place. Coming next on his pathway is Jose Gabriel RODRIGUEZ TENORIO of Ecuador, who showcased his dominance with a commanding 5:0 win over Argentina’s Joel Marcos MAFAUAD.
In the afternoon session, four more slots for Paris 2024 were awarded.
In the Women’s 57kg class, Valeria ARBOLEDA MENDOZA of Colombia secured the second boxing Olympic quota for her country by defeating Tamara Elizabeth MATURANA SOTO of Chile. The Colombian boxer dominated the bout with aggression and powerful punches to her opponent’s face, earning a unanimous decision win with all judges awarding her all rounds. Moving on to the medal match, the experienced southpaw Ashleyann LOZADA MOTTA of Puerto Rico will be her upcoming opponent. LOZADA MOTTA also secured a ticket to Paris for her country as she dominated her quarterfinal bout against Canada’s Marie-Bathoul AL-AHMADIEH (CAN) with a sharp 5:0 unanimous decision.
Moments later, team Venezuela celebrated the first Olympic quota place in the Women’s 57kg event, as Omailyn Carolina ALCALA SEGOVIA outclassed the silver medalist at the 2023 San Salvador Central American Games, Legnis CALA MASSO from Cuba with a 5:0 victory. In tomorrow’s semifinal, she will face off against the Brazilian Jucielen CERQUEIRA ROMEU, who showcased exceptional boxing skill and determination to win against Daisy Nelly BAMBERGER HOANG of Peru. An emotional Jucielen celebrated not only today’s victory but also her spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a fierce contest in the Men’s 63.5kg category, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Wyatt SANFORD (CAN) prevailed over Luciano Matias AMAYA (ARG). The Argentinian started strong in the first round, taking a 3-2 lead by targeting SANFORD’s body. However, the Canadian fought back and took control in the second and third rounds, earning the unanimous decision victory. In the next phase of the tournament, SANFORD is set to face Brazil’s Yuri FALCAO DOS REIS, who secured a commanding 5:0 win against El Salvador’s Samuel George CONTRERAS CABRALES.
Alexy Miguel DE LA CRUZ BAEZ, representing the Dominican Republic, delivered a remarkable performance in the ring today. As a Tokyo 2020 Olympian who secured a 9th place finish, he showcased his boxing prowess in a thrilling quarterfinal showdown within the Men’s 63.5kg weight class. DE LA CRUZ BAEZ exhibited an exceptional display of precision punching and tactical expertise, capturing the attention of the arena’s spectators. DE LA CRUZ BAEZ stunned the strong contender from the United States, Emilio Esteban GARCIA, securing a convincing victory with his precise and powerful punches. With this victory, the Dominican boxer has earned a spot in the semifinals, where he will face off against the formidable Miguel Angel MARTINEZ RAMIREZ from Mexico. MARTINEZ RAMIREZ himself earned a place in the semifinals by clinching a closely contested 3:2 split decision win against Colombia’s boxer, Jose Manuel VIAFARA FORY. The upcoming semifinal match promises to be a thrilling and closely watched event in the tournament.
Semifinals are scheduled for tomorrow, October 26, at the XIX Pan American Games, which also serve as an Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament for Paris 2024. Twenty-two more quota places will be awarded in the Women’s 50kg, 54kg, 66kg, 75kg, as well as in the Men’s 51kg, 57kg, 63.5 kg, 71kg, 80kg, 92kg, and +92kg weight categories.
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Find additional information on the event on the Santiago 2023 official website.
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