GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (March 28, 2022) – Thirteen exciting male finals were featured last night in the eighth competition day at the AMBC American Women’s and Men’s Elite Boxing Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Brazilian 21-year-old Luiz Gabriel Do Nascimento Oliveira became an instant sensation on the last competition day, when he defeated the defending featherweight (57kg) World Champion from the United States, Jahmal Harvey.
Cuba, United States, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico claimed the gold medals in the men’s part of the AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships; Argentina, United States, Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Brazil shared the eleven female titles in the competition
The Brazilians headed the team rankings of the AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships with seven gold medals. The United States earned two female and four male gold medals and became the second after the Brazilians. Colombia earned three titles of the event and secured the third position in the medal standings.
Roscoe Hill from the US won his first big title.
The United States have had excellent flyweight (51kg) boxers in the recent period and its Roscoe Hill waited for his time to attend a major event. He achieved a silver medal at the 2021 AIBA Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships, and he arrived in Guayaquil to earn his first ever big title. The US boxer met in the final with Erislan Romero. The Cuban boxer did not find the best fighting distance against Hill, unable to catch his taller rival in the final, which delivered success to the US athlete.
Dominican Republic achieved two gold medals in Guayaquil
Dominican Republic’s best boxer in the recent nine years, Leonel De Los Santos, was not able to attend the AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships in Guayaquil, but two of other athletes earned gold medals in the event. Rodrigo Marte moved up to the bantamweight (54kg) after his last title-winning performance at the 2019 Pan American Games, but his decision paid off in Guayaquil. Marte was at a different level than experienced Damian Arce from Cuba, earning his second major achievement during his career. His teammate, Alexys Miguel De La Cruz, has five years of experience on the Elite National Team and showed amazing stamina during the third round against Simon Rafael Joubert from Cuba in the final of the men’s lightweight category (60kg).
Brazil’s Oliveira delivered the upset of the day
Brazilian Luiz Gabriel Do Nascimento Oliveira won a gold medal at the 2018 AMBC American Youth Boxing Championships and joined Brazilian Elite National Team in January 2020. The Brazilian talent competes at the featherweight weight category (57kg). He met the reigning AIBA World Champion Jahmal Harvey from the US in the final bout. Harvey used his excellent footwork against Oliveira in the first round, but the Brazilian boxer adopted the rhythm and surprised his US opponent. Oliveira had excellent physical condition to keep that world-class level until the last seconds and defeated Harvey in one of the best contests of the last day. His top teammates – Wanderson Oliveira, Keno Machado and Abner Junior Teixeira – all won their finals in their weight categories.
Eleven women gold medalists crowned
Eleven women boxers earned gold medals at the AMBC American Boxing Championships. Argentina, the United States, Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Brazil shared eleven titles in the competition.
The best boxers of the continent – Brazilian Beatriz Ferreira, Colombian Ingrit Valencia and Canadian Tamara Thibeault – won in their final’s competition.
Argentina won the first title of the event
Aldana Florencia Lopez from Argentina returned to the National Team from professional boxing. The 25-year-old athlete proceeded into the final of the women’s minimumweight (48kg) and started the first round well against Guatemala’s Aylin Dayana Jamez. Jamez was close to earning a historical gold medal for her country, but Lopez worked hard in the last round to capture the first title of the championships.
Ingrit Valencia continued her winning path
One of the Colombian titleholders, Yeni Marcela Arias,had been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women’s featherweight (57kg) competition in Guayaquil, but its next female star, Ingrit Lorena Valencia, bagged a gold medal. The experienced Colombian flyweight (52kg) boxer earned medals at all of the major competitions excluding the Women’s World Boxing Championships, yet. Valencia used her distance and quick attacks well enough in the final against Mexico’s Fatima Patricia Herrera to take the lead on the judges’ scorecards after three minutes of the fight. She kept the same pace until the last seconds and celebrated her new AMBC title.
Beatriz was a perfect name to win titles in Guayaquil
Beatriz Ferreira is not only the best Brazilian female boxer, but she is the top woman athlete in the entire South American continent. The lightweight (60kg) star is aiming for her second Women’s World Boxing Championships title in Istanbul this May and the AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships was a stop for her on that road. Ferreira had a competitive rival, US Rashida Ellis, but the Brazilian’s No.1 boxer used her aggressive style of boxing to defend her throne. Another Brazilian Beatriz – Soares — was a high hope at the welterweight (66kg) and faced the Argentinian’s most experienced National Team member Lucia Noelia Perez. Soares found the weak points of her Argentinean opponent and took the gold medal.
The participating nations in the AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships
Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fair Chance Team, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, and United States of America.
Here is a complete list of AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships winners:
WOMEN
48kg: Aldana Florencia Lopez, Argentina
50kg: Jennifer Lozano, United States
52kg: Ingrit Lorena Valencia, Colombia
54kg: Scarlett Delgado, Canada
57kg: Ashley Ann Lozada, Puerto Rico
60kg: Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil
63kg: Jajaira Gonzalez, United States
70kg: Barbara Dos Santos, Brazil
75kg: Tamara Thibeault, Canada
+81kg: Diana Romero, Colombia
MEN
48kg: Billy Rodriguez, Cuba
51kg: Roscoe Hill, United States
54kg: Rodrigo Marte, Dominican Republic
57kg: Luiz Gabriel Do Nascimento Oliveira, Brazil
60kg: Alexys Miguel De La Cruz, Dominican Republic
63.5kg: Jose Manuel Viafara, Colombia
67kg: Wanderson Oliveira, Brazil
71kg: Marco Alonso Verde, Mexico
75kg: Oved Emmanuel Bartee-El, United States
80kg: Robby Gonzales, United States
86kg: Keno Machado, Brazil
92kg: Jamar Talley, United States
+92kg: Abner Junior Teixeira, Brazil
