Seven nations shared the titles in the Lima 2019 Panamerican Games
August 5th, 2019 / IBA
The boxing tournament of the Panamerican Games finished with its sixth competition day in Lima, Peru where seven nations shared the fifteen gold medals. The Cuban boxers amazed the crowd in the men’s part of the boxing event and topped the team rankings with their eight gold medals at the Games.
The Panamerican Games is the continent’s most important multisport event holds every four years since the first 1951 edition. Lima hosted the 18th edition of the Panamerican Games which was Peru’s biggest sport show during the history of the South American country.
The women boxers could attend in the Panamerican Games in five weight classes at the very first time and new champions celebrated their titles. Altogether 17 nations claimed at least one medal in the Games including developing boxing countries as Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay.
Round 1 – Cuban dominancy in the men’s part of boxing
Cuba dominated the men’s part of the boxing tournament with their eight gold medals in the Peruvian capital which was even better performance than the last edition when the Caribbean power achieved six titles. Five of their experienced stars defended their previous thrones in the Panamerican Games following the last Toronto edition which was held four years ago on July 2015.
AIBA World Champions as Lazaro Alvarez (60kg), and Andy Cruz (64kg) both had seriously tough finals against Dominican Republic’s Leonel De Los Santos and United States’ Keyshawn Davis but in the last round both managed to win the bouts. Rio 2016 Olympic Games winner Arlen Lopez (75kg), four-times AIBA World Champion Julio Cesar La Cruz (81kg) and Hamburg 2017 AIBA World Champion Erislandy Savon (91kg) had strong performances in the finals and defended also their titles in the Games.
Round 2 – The Colombian girls impressed once again and defeated their US rivals in the finals
Colombia achieved historical medals in the women’s tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and in the New Delhi 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Ingrit Valencia won a valuable bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and she continued her winning path in Lima and defeated United States’ best female boxer Virginia Fuchs in the final of the flyweight (51kg). Her teammate Jessica Paola Caicedo, who achieved silver in New Delhi, moved back to the middleweight (75kg) and her pressurizing tactic delivered for her a gold medal beating a strong US boxer Naomi Graham in Lima.
Round 3 – Collazo and Marte delivered the main surprises of the Games
Colombia’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Yuberjen Martinez dominated all of his bouts in the American continent in the previous three years but in the Panamerican Games he suffered a loss to Puerto Rico’s Oscar Manuel Collazo who proved strong development in Lima. Following the success of the 21-year-old Puerto Rican light flyweight (49kg) boxer, another surprise has been made in the men’s part of the Games. Dominican Republic’s Rodrigo Marte claimed silver medal in the Qualifier of the Games this April but in Lima he has done a revenge against Cuba’s star Yosbany Veitia and captured the title of the men’s flyweight (52kg).
List of the winners in the Panamerican Games
Women’s 51kg: Ingrit Valencia, Colombia
Women’s 57kg: Leonela Sanchez, Argentina
Women’s 60kg: Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil
Women’s 69kg: Oshae Jones, United States of America
Women’s 75kg: Jessica Paola Caicedo, Colombia
Men’s 49kg: Oscar Manuel Collazo, Puerto Rico
Men’s 52kg: Rodrigo Marte, Dominican Republic
Men’s 56kg: Osvel Caballero, Cuba
Men’s 60kg: Lazaro Alvarez, Cuba
Men’s 64kg: Andy Cruz, Cuba
Men’s 69kg: Roniel Iglesias, Cuba
Men’s 75kg: Arlen Lopez, Cuba
Men’s 81kg: Julio Cesar La Cruz, Cuba
Men’s 91kg: Erislandy Savon, Cuba
Men’s +91kg: Dainier Pero, Cuba
