Cuba's 23-year-old Roniel Iglesias had suffered only two losses in the last three years with the last one coming in the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships' preliminary stage. In Guadalajara, the former AIBA World Champion showed off his array of skills to defeat Brazil's in-form Everton Lopes, who had been outstanding in Baku on way to gold medal glory. Iglesias was supreme in their bout as he won by a clear 18:9 to advance to the Light Welterweight final where he must now surely be favourite to be crowned champion.
In the Light Flyweight category, it was the teenagers who advanced to the semi-finals. Firstly Cuba's 19-year-old Yosvany Veitia eliminated Puerto Rico's National Elite Champion Jantony Ortiz, the youngest participant of the tournament at 17 years of age. The final verdict in the contest was 14:9 to Veitia but the super talented Jantony Ortiz is surely one of the stars of tomorrow. In the second of the Light Flyweight semi-finals, Mexico's 18-year-old National Youth Olympiad winner Joselito Velasquez triumphed over Dominican Republic's Juan Gabriel Medina to progress.
Another Cuban, another star with 20-year-old current AIBA World Champion Lazaro Alvarez at the forefront of his nation's continental domination as he easily defeated Venezuela's Angel Rodriguez 17:7 to move to within a win of gold medal glory. With Mexico's top boxer, AIBA World Championships bronze medallist and former AIBA Youth World Champion Oscar Valdez eliminating Brazil's Beijing Olympian Robinelson De Jesus Vieira, the Bantamweight final will be worth watching with the two strongest competitors in teh division going head-to-head.
Bahamas' Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Valentino Knowles, a member of the AIBA 'Road to Baku Program' put in the performance of a life time in Guadalajara. In his semi-final he dominated Venezuela's 18-year-old Yoelvis Hernandez to win 11:6. Knowles will now meet Cuba's Roniel Iglesias in the final.
In the middleweight category, 24-year-old reigning champion Jaime Cortez defeated Venezuela's Juan Carlos Rodriguez 14:8, while Beijing Olympic Games silver medallist Emilio Correa of Cuba triumphed over Canada's top Middleweight, 20-year-old Brody Blair by large margin of points.
Cuba's Youth Olympic Games winner, 19-year-old Leinier Perot advanced to the Heavyweight final after beating Argentina's Yamil Peralta 13:9. In the same weight division, Panamerican Champion Julio Castillo secured Ecuador's second victory of the day by dismantling Barbados' top fighter, Central American and Caribbean Games silver medallist Anderson Emmanuel.
Three Panamerican Women Champions met in the semi-finals of the Olympic Flyweight division with Canada's 24-year-old Mandy Bujold winning her grudge match with Argentina's Paola Benavides 12:8 then Colombia's South American Games bronze medallist Ingrid Valencia's surprisingly defeating Venezuela's Panamerican Champion Karla Magliocco 17:8. Valencia will now meet Bujold to contest the gold medal.
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