Gonzalo Valdovinos, a sophomore in the Honors College at Wolfson Campus, finished in fifth place (tied) in the boxing portion of the Xlll Juegos Suramericanos Santa Fe 2026 that took place in Argentina from Sept. 13-18.
The 19-year-old represented Paraguay in the 154-pound weight division. Valdovinos boxed against Brazil and Guyana, beating James Shakquain of Guyana 5-0 and losing to Kaian Reis of Brazil who was the winner of the competition.
“It was an amazing experience getting to represent my country in front of so many people and put on a great performance,” Valdovinos said. “It was one of the best weeks of my life.”
Valdovinos migrated to the United States from Paraguay when he was five years old and graduated from Maritime and Science Technology Academy in May of 2025.
He prepared for the competition in Argentina at BOXR Gym in Miami, following an intense eight-week training camp that included sparring with high-level opponents, sprinting, running, boxing drills and bag work.
The mechanical engineering major balances his boxing career with his studies at the college, maintaining a 4.0 GPA while taking courses like Honors Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Calculus 3, physics and linear algebra.
He is vice president of Mu Alpha Theta and has completed more than 100 community service hours tutoring Calculus 1 students.
Valdovinos plans to compete in the Florida State PAL Boxing Championships in November and the World Boxing Cup in February.
He aspires to be a professional boxer or an automotive engineer for a professional race car team.
