Brazilian big guns demonstrated their power at the 2nd Panamerican Qualification Tournament, which was held from April 30 – May 6 in Quito, Ecuador. Five of the country’s boxers advanced to the finals and four of them earned a gold medal and qualified for the upcoming Panamerican Games.

The first Brazilian gold medal was claimed by Panamerican Champion 30-year-old veteran Juliao Neto who thrashed Beijing Olympian local boxer Jose Meza by 18:12 in the flyweight final, while Puerto Rico’s teenager Freddy Ortiz claimed a bronze medal in Quito and therefore also qualifies for the Panamerican Games.

Beijing Olympian Robinelson de Jesus Vieira secured the gold medal after beating Deivi Julio of Colombia in the bantamweight final.

Another Brazilian Beijing Olympian Robson Conceicao claimed his nation’s third gold medal in Quito. The 22-year-old moved up into the lightweight division and on his debut in the Ecuadorian capital city he eliminated reigning Panamerican Champion Roberto Navarro of the Dominican Republic and won the final against Colombia’s Cesar Villarraga by a large margin.

One of Brazil’s best boxers, Panamerican Champion Myke Carvalho, had a really hard route to the welterweight final against Olympic silver medalist Carlos Banteur of Cuba but he defeated his world class opponent not for the first time in his career. For the gold medal he dismissed the Dominican Republic’s teenager Raul Sanchez.

In the middleweight class Brazil’s new star reigning AIBA Youth World Champion 19-year-old David Lourenco advanced to the final but was defeated by rising power Brody Blair of Canada after a great battle. Both young boxers have a promising future and may well be able to qualify for the Olympic Games as well.

At the first qualification event eight Cuban male boxers qualified for the Panamerican Games, leaving only two weight classes where the superpower boxing nation competed in Quito. Among the lowest weight boxers Cuba’s AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medalist Yosvany Veitia had to fight and, although he got the qualification place, he was defeated by Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo in the final.

Argentina’s AIBA Youth World Championships silver medalist 19-year-old Fabian Maidana was named best boxer in his country last year and most of the professionals expecting a great future from him. In the light welterweight final the young Argentinean talent defeated Puerto Rico’s Antonio Ortiz, who had eliminated Central American and Caribbean Games winner Valentino Knowles of the Bahamas in the preliminary round.

The Dominican Republic’s experienced Felix Manuel Valera joined his compatriots and qualified for the Panamerican Games with his gold in Quito. The light heavyweight boxer defeated Jeffrey Spencer from the US in the final, while Canadian National Champion Jonathan Savard missed the semi-final and qualification at the tournament.

Beijing Olympian and veteran heavyweight Deivis Julio claimed Colombia’s only first place in Quito, while Venezuela’s 25-year-old Jose Payares walked over to the super heavyweight gold because his Panamerican Champion opponent 18-year-old Italo Perea of Ecuador could not fight against him.

In the women’s qualification event the experienced Mandy Bujold of Canada eliminated multiple Panamerican Champion Erika Matos of Brazil in the semi-final and later claimed the Olympic flyweight gold medal by defeating Christina Cruz of the USA by a close 14:10.

Canada’s Sandra Bizier returned to the ring in January at her National Championships and qualified for the Panamerican Games in Quito some months later. Quebec-based Bizier shocked her US opponent, AIBA Women’s World Championships bronze medalist Queen Underwood, in the lightweight final and secured the top spot on the podium.

At the first qualification event two defending AIBA World Champions, Roselli Feitosa and Canada’s Mary Spencer, fought for the middleweight gold medal and unexpectedly the Brazilian won their first contest. In the second tournament the Dominican Republic’s best female boxer Yenebier Guillen was crowned when she defeated Franchon Crews of the USA in the final.

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