Day 2 of the Boxing Tournament at the Pan American Games commenced with eight electrifying bouts at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Santiago, Chile. The sole scheduled session for the day featured athletes from the Women’s 75kg and Men’s 92kg weight categories who displayed unwavering determination to progress further in the tournament.
Women’s 75kg
In the Women’s 75kg category, the 22-year-old Citlalli Vanessa ORTIZ from team Mexico put on an impressive performance, dominating her bout against Yakelin ESTORNELL ELIZASTIGUE of Cuba. She secured a convincing 5:0 victory and earned her place in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Mexican talent controlled the pace of the match, showcasing remarkable footwork and earning five 10/9 scores from the judges in each of the three rounds.
Canada’s Tammara Amanda THIBEAULT (CAN), the silver medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games and the gold medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, cleared her bout against Milena Altagracia JIMENEZ CASTILLO from the Dominican Republic in under 3 minutes. THIBEAULT displayed an all-out offensive strategy, delivering powerful blows that resulted in three standing counts over JIMENEZ CASTILLO. The referee had to stop the contest in round 1 at 2:51. Thibeault is now set to face Maryelis Andreina YRIZA BURGUILLOS from Venezuela, who secured a convincing 5:0 unanimous decision win in her bout against Colombia’s Luisa Fernanda VASQUEZ CORTES.
Moments later, two-time Olympian Atheyna Bibeichi BYLON of Panama showcased her exceptional talent and boxing skills in a match against Eyed Angel GEORGE from Trinidad and Tobago. BYLON picked up the pace and landed several strong punches, forcing the referee to stop the contest in round 2 after two standing counts.
The morning featured a highly anticipated continental rivalry match between Viviane DOS SANTOS PEREIRA from Brazil and Lorena Soledad BALBUENA from Argentina. The Brazilian boxer adopted an aggressive strategy, troubling her opponent, who struggled to defend against her attacks. At the end, DOS SANTOS PEREIRA secured a 5:0 victory on points.
Men’s 92kg
The Men’s 92kg category witnessed a monumental clash as the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, Julio Cesar LA CRUZ PERAZA, faced off against United States of America’s Jamar TALLEY. La CRUZ’s masterful display of boxing skills continued to impress the audience. The Cuban dominated his round of 16 bout, carefully studying his opponent in the first round by moving around the ring before going on the offensive with a dodge-and-hit style. He left no chances for his American rival and secured a unanimous decision victory, advancing to the quarterfinals. La Cruz moves one step closer to potentially clinching another gold medal at the Pan American Games, further solidifying his status as one of the sport’s true legends.
In the following bout, the 20-year-old Marlon Andres HURTADO COLORADO from Colombia also left his mark by securing a convincing 5:0 decision win over Daniel GUZMAN from the Dominican Republic.
The final bout of the day featured Yakita Drickie I Tabukuo ASKA from Antigua & Barbuda and Emmanuel POMPEY from Guyana. ASKA showcased his boxing skills and determination, earning a unanimous 4:1 points victory and booking a spot in the quarterfinals.
The excitement continues in Santiago, Chile, with twenty thrilling bouts spread across two sessions scheduled for tomorrow. The first session starts at 11:00, and the second at 17:00 (local time). Tomorrow’s matches will include the Women’s 50kg, Men’s 51kg, and Men’s 80kg preliminary round-of-16 matches. Boxing enthusiasts can look forward to more action-packed bouts in the coming days as these talented athletes battle for supremacy as well as for Paris 2024 Olympic quotas at the Pan American Games.
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