GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Mandy Bujold is one step closer to making Pan American Games history.
The fleet-footed, hard-punching 24-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., defeated Paola Benavides of Argentina 12-8 on Tuesday to book her spot in the gold-medal bout at the Games.
“I love it,” Bujold said. “Really the most important thing to me was to win that fight right there. I’m not underestimating anybody, but I think that was my hardest fight that just went by.
“I’m so happy right now.”
Women’s boxing is making its Pan Am debut in Mexico, and Bujold, who boxes in the 48-51 kilogram class, hopes to pen her name in the history books as one of the first gold medallists. She already made a bit of history earlier in the week as the first woman to fight at the Pan Ams.
Nine months from now, women will box in the Olympic Games for the first time ever in London.
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The five-foot-two, 112-pound Bujold took a patient approach against her Argentine opponent, and actually dropped the first round 3-2. The Canadian made up ground through Rounds 2 and 3 before pulling away in the fourth round, outscoring Benavides 4-1 before the final bell.
“I fought her at the first qualifier and she was kind of my rival and the one I knew I had to come here to beat,” said the five-time Canadian champion. “That should have been a final, she’s the second-best girl here. But my gameplan and everything I’ve been working on in the gym worked perfectly, so it’s good.”
Fans clapped in time and stamped their feet on the metal floor of the boxing venue, a large convention hall next door to the main press centre.
Bujold followed her older brother into the sport, but initially took it up for fitness. It took some time before she was willing to be punched in the face.
“No-one likes to get hit, but once you get hit you get used to it,” she said, laughing. “My coach would say, they just hit you with the right hand. I was like: really? Sometimes you don’t even notice until you look because you’re so in the moment.”
Brody Blair of Pictou, N.S., was eliminated in a 30-7 loss to Emilio Correa of Cuba.
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