Day three of the Santiago 2023 Boxing Tournament at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico showcased 20 intense bouts across three weight divisions: Women’s 50 kg, Men’s 51 kg, and Men’s 80 kg.
Morning Session:
Aldana Florencia LOPEZ of Argentina, the bronze medalist from the 2022 South American Games, left no room for doubt in her Women’s 50kg bout against Mexico’s Ingrid Alexa GOMEZ GALICIA. LOPEZ asserted her dominance with a commanding 5:0 unanimous decision, winning the first two rounds. Although GOMEZ made a valiant effort in the third, it ultimately fell short of securing her victory.
Yuliett Iveth HINESTROZA ASPRILLA from Panama adopted a patient and defensive approach, earning a 4-1 split decision win over Novoanny NUNEZ FRANCISCO (DOM). HINESTROZA ASPRILLA advanced to the quarterfinals, where she will meet Caroline BARBOSA DE ALMEIDA of Brazil, who also had a convincing victory. She defeated Haiti’s Kathreen Marie STERLING by 5:0, earning maximum points from all the judges in each round.
Valeria CARDENAS ABARCA of Costa Rica had a tough match against her opponent Gracemarie QUILES MARI (PUR). While the boxer from Puerto Rico narrowly secured the opening round, CARDENAS ABARCA fought back in the second and eventually clinched a 4:1 victory with some decisive punches in the third round.
Within the Men’s 51kg category, the 19-year-old Yunior ALCANTARA REYES from the Dominican Republic convincingly outperformed the Canadian contender, Justin John Sitchon PARINA, securing a unanimous decision victory. ALCANTARA REYES, a young talent from the Dominican Republic, displayed exceptional boxing skills and unwavering determination in the ring, attributes that ultimately led him to triumph.
Shortly after, Yuberjen Herney MARTINEZ RIVAS, the silver medalist from Rio 2016 representing Team Colombia, dominated his round-of-16, leaving no chance for Al Jaleel Ortega JOKHU from Trinidad & Tobago. With two standing counts against JOKHU, the referee had no choice but to halt the contest in the third round, awarding the victory to the more experienced MARTINEZ RIVAS. As he advanced to the quarterfinals, the Colombian boxer is now set to face Roscoe HILL of the United States of America. HILL secured a hard-fought split decision win over Alejandro CLARO FIZ from Cuba. The Cuban athlete utilized his speed, energy, and footwork to claim the first round, but his opponent fought back in the second and third rounds to secure the victory.
In the Men’s 80 kg category, the spotlight shifted to another thrilling contest, featuring the two-time Olympic champion from Team Cuba, Arlen LOPEZ CARDONA, against Gustiniano Abel MINA CAICEDO from Ecuador. With an exceptional performance, the Cuban boxer left spectators in awe, securing a commanding 5:0 victory over his opponent. Thanks to this triumph, LOPEZ is now one step closer to securing his potential third gold medal at the Pan American Games, solidifying his position as one of the most formidable contenders in his weight category.
The crowd at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in Santiago witnessed an exciting match featuring the local hero Julio ALAMOS MUMBRU (CHI) and Canada’s Keven Emmanuel BEAUSEJOUR. In a tough ring clash, both boxers showed sensational combinations, but BEAUSEJOUR clinched a 3:2 split decision win, earning the right to face off against Abraham Gabriel BUONARRIGO (ARG) in the quarterfinals. The Argentinian boxer, also know as “Turco”, ran out a comfortable 5:0 win over the South American Games bronze medalist Desmond AMSTERDAM of Guyana.
Evening Session:
The evening session kicked off with a Women’s 50kg bout featuring McKenzie WRIGHT from Canada and Aylin Dayana JAMEZ GONZALEZ representing the Independent Athletes Team. The Canadian boxer established her dominance in the opening round, earning five scores of 10/9 from the judges. She continued her strong performance in the second round with three scores of 10/9 and two scores of 9/10. While AMEZ GONZALEZ mounted a comeback in the third round, it fell short of securing her the victory.
The home favorite Kim-Berly J. M. SANDOVAL SANDOVAL (CHI) couldn’t overcome the challenge from Tayonis CEDENO ROJAS of Venezuela, who won via unanimous decision. Next up for the Venezuelan boxer is Jennifer “La Traviesa” LOZANO of Team United States of America, who clinched a 3:2 split decision win over Susan Meylin AGUAS CHAL from Ecuador.
In the Men’s 51kg weight category, Michael Douglas DA SILVA TRINDADE of Brazil delivered a convincing victory today, showcasing his exceptional boxing skills and unwavering determination. He secured a unanimous 5:0 decision victory over Hansell Josue LOPEZ SANCHEZ (EAI). The Brazilian contender now advances to the quarterfinals, where he is set to face Venezuela’s Keymberth Jose GONZALEZ SOLORZANO, who also secured a unanimous decision victory over Barbados’ Jabali George BREEDY.
Later in the evening, the crowd at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico of Santiago enjoyed a thrilling match between Hector Fabian TAPIA CERDA (CHI) and Ramon Nicanor QUIROGA (ARG). The Chilean supporters were left disappointed as the local hero was outscored by the Argentinian QUIROGA, who took the lead since round one and secured a resounding 5:0 victory.
Wanderley DE SOUZA PEREIRA, the gold medalist from the 2022 South American Games representing Brazil, proved to be too strong for Wyatt Denzel TRUJILLO BARILLAS (EAI). The Brazilian athlete employed his skills and potent jabs to secure early points, and after sending TRUJILLO BARILLAS to the canvas twice, the contest was halted in the second round, granting DE SOUZA PEREIRA the victory. As he advances in the brackets, DE SOUZA PEREIRA is now set to face Cristian Javier PINALES (DOM). PINALES triumphed after an extremely close and intense match against Robby GONZALES (USA). The Dominican boxer started strong in the first round, earning maximum points from all the judges. Although GONZALES launched a counter-attack in the second round, PINALES came out on top in the third round, securing a 3:2 split decision victory.
Charles Antonio COX representing Barbados edged Puerto Rico’s Eliezer Omar BRITO CARABALLO in a notable round-of-16 contest. COX went on the offensive and landed powerful blows that forced the referee to stop the contest in the third round. In his quarterfinal bout, he will face Cedrick BELONY-DULIEPRE of Haiti, who produced a good tactical display to beat the Jamaican boxer Jaden ECCLESTON with a controlled 5:0 win.
The tournament will continue tomorrow, October 22, with twenty-two exciting round-of-16 bouts in the Women’s 54kg, 60kg, as well as in the Men’s 63.5kg and 71kg weight divisions.
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Find additional information on the event on the Santiago 2023 official website.
You can also check our photo galleries, here.
