Panamerican Boxing Confederation Celebrates Explosive Opening Day at XIII South American Games Santa Fe 2026

COMPETITIONS

9/14/20262 min read

RAFAELA, ARGENTINA – The boxing tournament at the XIII South American Games Santa Fe 2026 opened with high-intensity drama at the sub-venue in Rafaela on Sunday afternoon. Session 1 featured 10 competitive bouts across five divisions, highlighted by major host-nation victories, sharp technical battles, and split-decision thrillers.

The home crowd had plenty to celebrate as Argentina delivered three decisive wins on Day 1. In the tournament opener at Women’s 51kg, Tatiana Flores set the tone for Argentina, securing a hard-fought 3:2 split-decision victory over Brazil’s Caroline Almeida. Host-nation momentum carried through the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, with Luz Arancibia (W57kg) sweeping Helen Sanchez of Ecuador, and Santiago Tulian (55kg) putting on a masterclass to defeat Paraguay’s Diego Moringo by unanimous decision.

Paraguay registered a strong opening day with two unanimous shutouts. Minerva Mereles commanded her W57kg bout against Akeelah Vancooten of Guyana, while light middleweight Gonzalo Weiler closed the session’s contested bouts with a dominant 5:0 win over Shakquain James (GUY) in the 70kg division.

Panama’s Yuliett Asprilla advanced in a tightly contested 3:2 battle against Patricia Rojas of Bolivia at W51kg. Meanwhile, Ecuador’s Billy Arias turned in a clinical 5:0 performance over Panama’s Luis Santos at 55kg, and Uruguay’s Lucas Garcia swept Bolivia's Noe Barrientos in the same weight class. Michael Trindade (BRA, 55kg) and Domelzo Schet (SUR, 65kg) each advanced via walkover.

Session 1 Results Summary (Sunday, September 13)

  • W51kg: Tatiana Flores (ARG) def. Caroline Almeida (BRA), WP 3:2

  • W51kg: Yuliett Asprilla (PAN) def. Patricia Rojas (BOL), WP 3:2

  • W57kg: Minerva Mereles (PAR) def. Akeelah Vancooten (GUY), WP 5:0

  • W57kg: Luz Arancibia (ARG) def. Helen Sanchez (ECU), WP 5:0

  • 55kg: Santiago Tulian (ARG) def. Diego Moringo (PAR), WP 5:0

  • 55kg: Billy Arias (ECU) def. Luis Santos (PAN), WP 5:0

  • 55kg: Lucas Garcia (URU) def. Noe Barrientos (BOL), WP 5:0

  • 55kg: Michael Trindade (BRA) def. Andres Mendoza (VEN), WO

  • 65kg: Domelzo Schet (SUR) def. Jose Anez (BOL), WO

  • 70kg: Gonzalo Weiler (PAR) def. Shakquain James (GUY), WP 5:0

Session 2 Preview: Heavy Hitters and Key Matchups (Monday, September 14)

  • Bout 11 (W54kg): Tatiana Chagas (BRA) vs. Melanie Martinez (ARG)

  • Bout 12 (W54kg): Denisse Vilches (CHI) vs. Ayda Rodriguez (BOL)

  • Bout 13 (W54kg): Diana Marquez (VEN) vs. Antonella Barzabal (URU)

  • Bout 14 (W65kg): Youly Leon (VEN) vs. Lucia Muello (ARG)

  • Bout 15 (60kg): Sergio Lopez (BOL) vs. Castro Vazquez (PAR)

  • Bout 16 (60kg): Wilson Acevedo (VEN) vs. Luiz Oliveira (BRA)

  • Bout 17 (90kg): Pedro Arjona (ARG) vs. Alfonso Parra (VEN)

  • Bout 18 (90kg): Emmanuel Pompey (GUY) vs. Jimmy Nuñez (BOL)

  • Bout 19 (90kg): Jhojan Caicedo (COL) vs. Gonzalo Deleon (URU)

  • Bout 20 (+90kg): Miguel Pardo (BOL) vs. Joel da Silva (BRA)

Watch Live

You can catch all of the action on ODESUR's YouTube Channel starting at 15h00m local time / BRT. You can also stream on Panam Sports Channel.

All brackets, results, and bout sheets will be available on our homepage at panamericanboxing.org.

About Panamerican Boxing Confederation (PBC):

Panamerican Boxing Confederation is the governing body for amateur and Olympic-style boxing in the Americas, dedicated to the development, governance, and promotion of the sport across its member National Federations.

Media contact: communication@panamericanboxing.org

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