Article by Tibor Kincsis
Argentina, United States, Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Brazil shared the 11 women’s titles in Guayaquil.
Eleven female boxers earned their titles in the seventh competition day at the AMBC Continental Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Argentina, United States, Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Brazil shared the eleven titles in the competition. The best boxers of the continent, Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira, Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia, and Canada’s Tammara Thibeault, all won their finals in Ecuador.
Argentina bagged the first title of the whole event.
Argentina’s Aldana Florencia Lopez returned to the national team from the professional boxing world and enjoyed her contests in the AMBC Continental Championships. The 25-year-old Argentinean not only marched into the final of the women’s minimumweight (48kg), but she started the first round well against Guatemala’s Aylin Dayana Jamez. Her Central American opponent is in her career-best form and replied with excellent combinations in the second round of their final. Jamez was close to earning Guatemala’s historical gold medal, but Lopez worked hard in the last round to capture the first title of the whole championship.
Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia continued her winning path.
One of the Colombian titleholders, Yeni Marcela Arias, was eliminated already in the quarter-finals of the women’s featherweight (57kg) in Guayaquil, but their next female star, Ingrit Lorena Valencia, bagged a gold medal in the competition. The experienced Colombian flyweight (52kg) boxer earned medals in 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 and took the lead on the judges’ scorecards after three minutes of the bout. The Colombian kept the same level until the last seconds and celebrated her next AMBC title after the 2016 edition.
US and Puerto Rican gold medals in the difficult weight categories.
The United States’ Jennifer Lozano did not have much experience on the international stage before the championship, but she managed to earn the title of the light flyweight (50kg) in Guayaquil after beating Argentina’s Milagros Flores in the final. Her teammate, former AIBA Youth World Champion Jajaira Gonzalez, returned to the US national team and she claimed their second gold medal in the Ecuadorian city where she defeated Brazil’s youngster Rebeca Santos Lima in the light welterweight (63kg) category. The most crowded category of the event, the featherweight (57kg) division saw many stars, but the gold medal was achieved by Puerto Rico’s Ashley Ann Lozada who needed to do her very best against Guatemala’s promising Leilany Reyes.
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 female athlete in the whole American continent. The lightweight (60kg) star is aiming for her second Women’s World Boxing Championship title in Istanbul this May, and the AMBC Continentals was a stop for along the way. Ferreira had a competitive rival, the United States’ Rashida Ellis, but the Brazilian used her aggressive style of boxing to defend her throne. Another Brazilian, Beatriz Soares, was a high hope at the welterweight (66kg) category and faced off with Argentina’s most experienced national team member, Lucia Noelia Perez, in the final. Soares found the weak points of her tall Argentinean opponent and took the gold medal of the busy weight category.
Canada earned two titles on Day 7.
The Canadians have excellent female boxers but some of their experienced national team members retired from the active sport. Scarlett Delgado is a new boxer at the bantamweight (54kg) category, but she exceeded all of the previous expectations and defeated Argentina’s Milagros Rosario Herrera in the final, earning Canada’s first gold medal in Guayaquil. Canada’s Tammara Thibeault was gold medallist in the middleweight category (75kg) at the 2017 AMBC Continental Championships, and she defended her throne in Guayaquil following her brilliant performance against Panama’s AIBA Women’s World Champion Atheyna Bylon.
The eighth competition day at the AMBC Continental Championships.
The male final bouts will be held on the eighth day of boxing at AMBC Continental Championshipsin Guayaquil, Ecuador. Continentals will be live-streamed through the IBA YouTube channel as all of the previous sessions.
List of the women’s winners at the AMBC Continental Championships.
Women’s 48kg: Aldana Florencia Lopez, Argentina
Women’s 50kg: Jennifer Lozano, United States
Women’s 52kg: Ingrit Lorena Valencia, Colombia
Women’s 54kg: Scarlett Delgado, Canada
Women’s 57kg: Ashley Ann Lozada, Puerto Rico
Women’s 60kg: Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil
Women’s 63kg: Jajaira Gonzalez, United States
Women’s 66kg: Beatriz Soares, Brazil
Women’s 70kg: Barbara Dos Santos, Brazil
Women’s 75kg: Tammara Thibeault, Canada
Women’s +81kg: Diana Romero, Colombia
Background: Boxers who were born between 1982 and 2003 are eligible to compete in the AMBC Continental Championships. There are neutral referees and judges from Europe in the competition to ensure fair play in Guayaquil, which hosted its last AMBC event for the elite women boxers in 2009.
Altogether, 197 boxers are attending the AMBC Continental Championships from 25 countries. The number of the female boxers is a record number of 75, and the most popular category is featherweight (57kg) with the participation of 11 boxers. 122 male boxers are competing for the thirteen available male titles where the lightweight (60kg) and the light welterweight (63.5kg) are the most popular categories with 14-14 boxers on the board.
The participating nations in the AMBC Championships include 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 the United States of America.
Images courtesy of Campeonato Continental Élite de Boxeo Masculino-Femenino Guayaquil 2022
