Thursday, October 19, 2023.- Ecuadorian boxer Gerlon Congo Chala defeated Chilean Miguel Véliz by a split decision of 3-2 in a tightly contested bout in the +92-kilogram category at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico in the Ñuñoa commune.

The fight was decided in the second round, with three referees scoring the bout in favor of Congo Chala and two in favor of the Chilean.

In the first round, all five judges scored the round 10-9 in favor of the Ecuadorian, while in the third round, the Chilean won with the same result.

The final score was 143-142 in favor of the Ecuadorian athlete, who advanced to the second round with a narrow victory in the +92-kilogram boxing category and awaits his next opponent.

After the match, Congo Chala expressed his joy for this victorious debut. "I'm happy to have won; we started well with the first round, and now with a clear goal of qualifying for the Olympics," said the Ecuadorian athlete. "The opponent was very strong, the crowd was against me, but I managed to secure the victory," he added, emphasizing the great boxing atmosphere that accompanied his fight.

"I'm very pleased with the love of the people, with my family who came to see me from far away, and grateful to the entire Chilean people," said Miguel Véliz, acknowledging the constant support he received from the audience.

In other fights of the evening, in the 57-kilogram category, Dominican boxer José Luis de los Santos defeated Venezuelan Yoel Finol by a score of 4-1. In the same weight class, Colombian boxer Leandro González also won by an identical score against Puerto Rican Caleb Tirado.
In the 63.5-kilogram category, Colombian boxer José Viafara advanced to the next round by achieving a technical knockout in the second round against Haitian Kervens Bouche.

The round of sixteen will conclude on Monday, October 23rd, with six fights scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. It's worth remembering that boxing is a discipline that offers qualifying spots for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Written by Pedro Marín and Rodrigo Parragué; Translated by Pia Barriga / Photosport
Photos: Diego Alvujar/Santiago 2023 vía Photosport