Roniel Iglesias

Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo (born August 14, 1988) is a Cuban amateur boxer, best known to win the junior world title at lightweight in 2006 and to qualify for the Olympics 2008.

In 2005 he sensationally won the national (senior) flyweight title as a 16-year old when Olympic champion Yuriorkis Gamboa was out injured, he beat future two-time champ Yoandri Salinas and Karel Luis in the final, the more experienced Andry Laffita who had competed at junior flyweight was sent to the world championships, though.

In 2006 he competed in January at the national (senior) championships at bantamweight and lost in the semifinal to Idel Torriente, in September he had put on 6 more kilograms and won his world title at lightweight in Agadir, Morocco . In the quarterfinals he beat Everton Lopes, in the final Kazach Azamat Smagulov.

In 2007 he lost at the national senior championships to world champ Yordenis Ugas at lightweight.

In 2008 he won the junior welter national senior championship, he beat Richard Poll 12:9 in the final and was sent to the Olympic qualifier in Trinidad where he beat another teenager in Javier Molina in the semifinal to qualify for the Summer Olympics.

Olympic results

*Defeated Mahaman Smaila (Cameroon) 15-1
*Defeated Driss Moussaid (Morocco) 15-4
*Defeated Gennady Kovalev (Russia) 5-2
*Lost to Manus Boonjumnong (Thailand) 5-10

ee also

* Julio Cesar Iglesias

References

* [http://www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Nationalchamps/Cuba2005.html 2005 national title]
* [http://www.amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Championships/WorldJuniorChamps2006.html junior world title 2006]
* [http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/deportes/2008-01-27/el-jovencito-julio-cruz-obtuvo-el-titulo-en-la-division-semicompleta-del-certamen-/ Nationals 2008, Spanish]