Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo (born 14 August 1988) is a Cuban

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, best known for winning the junior world title at lightweight in 2006, a bronze medal at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing and a gold at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London. He went on to add to his already impressive Olympic resume by winning another gold medal at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

at 33-years-old.

Career

In 2005, Iglesias won the national (senior) flyweight title as a 16-year-old when Olympic champion

Yuriorkis Gamboa Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano (born 23 December 1981) is a Cuban professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title ( Regular version) from 2009 to 2011, and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight ti ...

was out injured. He beat future two-time champ

Yoandri Salinas Yoandris Salinas (born September 20, 1985) is a Cuban professional boxer from Ciego de Ávila best known to medal repeatedly at flyweight in international amateur tournaments. Amateur Salinas sensationally lost in 2005 to 16-year-old Roniel Igle ...

and then Karel Luis in the final. However, the more experienced

Andry Laffita Andry Laffita Fernández (born March 26, 1978) is a retired Cuban amateur boxer. He won the silver medal at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He also won a silver medal in the flyweight class, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. ...

who had competed at junior flyweight was sent to the world championships. In 2006, he competed in January at the national (senior) championships at bantamweight and lost in the semifinal to

Idel Torriente Idel Torriente Leal (born September 9, 1986) is a Cubans, Cuban amateur boxer who won the Pan American Games, Pan American featherweight title 2007 and qualified for the Olympics. Career In 2006 the southpaw beat teenage star Roniel Iglesias in ...

, in September he had put on 6 more kilograms and won the 2006 world title at lightweight in

Agadir, Morocco Agadir (, ; ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casablanca. Agadir is the capital of the Aga ...

. In the quarterfinals he beat

Éverton Lopes Éverton dos Santos Lopes (born August 8, 1988 in Salvador, Bahia) is a Brazilian professional boxer best known for his sensational 2011 World title win when he was still an amateur. Lopes is also a two-time Olympian, two-time Pan American Game ...

and then Kazach Azamat Smagulov in the final. 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

Javier Molina Javier Molina Casillas (born January 2, 1990) is an American professional boxer. As an amateur, he won the 2007 U.S. National Championships at the age of 17 and represented the United States the following year at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Pe ...

in the semifinal to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics where he lost his semi to defending champion

Manus Boonjumnong Manus Boonjumnong (; , born June 23, 1980) is a Thai boxer who won the Olympics at Light Welterweight (60–64 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the older brother of Non Boonjumnong. Amateur career At the 2003 World Amat ...

. In the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London, Iglesias won the gold medal by defeating Denys Berinchyk from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

by a score of 22–15. He later moved up to welterweight, which was the weight division he competed in at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. In the

2020 Olympic Games The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

in Tokyo, Iglesias won a gold medal by defeating Pat McCormack from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

by a score of 5–0.

Results

;Beijing 2008 Olympic results *Defeated Mahaman Smaila (Cameroon) 15-1 *Defeated

Driss Moussaid Driss Moussaid (born March 29, 1988) is a boxer from Morocco who won bronze at the World Junior Championships 2006 and qualified for the Olympics 2008 at Junior Welter. Career He won a bronze medal in 2006 at the World Junior Championship in his n ...

(Morocco) 15-4 *Defeated

Gennady Kovalev Gennady Gennadiyevich Kovalev (; born 17 May 1983 in Kropotkin, Krasnodar Krai) is a boxer from Russia. Career He started boxing in 1995 in Miass, and his first coach was Anatoly Panguev. Southpaw Kovalev won the silver medal at the 2003 World ...

(Russia) 5-2 *Lost to

(Thailand) 5-10 ;London 2012 Olympic results *Defeated Cesar Villarraga Aldana (Colombia) 20-9 *Defeated Everton Dos Santos Lopes (Brazil) 18-15 *Defeated Uktamjon Rahmonov (Uzbekistan) 21-15 *Defeated

Vincenzo Mangiacapre Vincenzo Mangiacapre (born 17 January 1989 in Marcianise) is an Italian boxer, who won bronze at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships and the 2012 Olympics. Biography In June he won Bronze at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championshi ...

(Italy) 15-8 *Defeated

Denys Berinchyk Denys Berinchyk (, ; born 5 May 1988) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He held the WBO lightweight title from May 2024 to February 2025. As an amateur, he won silver medals in the light-welterweight division at the 2011 World Championships ...

(Ukraine) 22-15 ;Rio 2016 Olympic results *Defeated

Vladimir Margaryan Vladimir Margaryan (; born 8 March 1991) is an Armenian boxer. He competed in the men's welterweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Ri ...

(Armenia) TKO *Lost to

Shakhram Giyasov Shakhram Djamshedovich Giyasov (born 7 July 1993) is an Uzbek professional boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics as a welterweight. Biography Shakhram started boxing when he was 12 years old in Bukhara sport s ...

(Uzbekistan) 3-0 ;Tokyo 2020 Olympic results *Defeated

Sewon Okazawa Sewon Okazawa (born 21 December 1995) is a Japanese boxer. He competed in the men's welterweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held fro ...

(Japan) 3–2 *Defeated

Delante Johnson Delante Johnson (born August 13, 1998) is an American professional boxer. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2016 Youth World Championships and bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games. Johnson represented the United States at the 2020 Summ ...

(USA) 5–0 *Defeated

Andrey Zamkovoy Andrey Viktorovoich Zamkovoy ( rus, Андрей Викторович Замковой, , ɐnˈdrʲej zəmkɐˈvoj; born 4 July 1987) is a Russian amateur boxer, best known for winning gold at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. Biography ...

(Russia) 5–0 *Defeated Pat McCormack (Great Britain) 5–0

References

External links

* * * * *
Nationals 2008, Spanish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iglesias, Roniel 1988 births Living people Martial artists from Pinar del Río Cuban male boxers Olympic boxers for Cuba Olympic bronze medalists for Cuba Olympic medalists in boxing Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Boxers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2011 Pan American Games Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2015 Pan American Games Boxers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2019 Pan American Games Boxers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games silver medalists for Cuba Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Welterweight boxers Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in boxing Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games 21st-century Cuban sportsmen Pan American Games gold medalists in boxing Pan American Games silver medalists in boxing