Canada's Tammara Thibeault wins Pan Am boxing gold in thrilling final

Canada's Tammara Thibeault will arrive in Paris next summer looking to complete her golden collection.

The Shawinigan, Que., native beat Panama's Atheyna Bylon in the 75-kilogram final to win the Pan Am Games title on Friday in Santiago, Chile.

The two combatants were tied after two rounds, but Thibeault earned a unanimous decision in the third and final round to take gold.

Thibeault, 26, also holds the 2022 world and Commonwealth Games titles.

She booked her spot at next summer's Olympics by winning her semifinal on Thursday. Now, she'll work toward improving on her Canadian women's record quarterfinal finish from Tokyo 2020.

In a rematch of last year's world championship, Thibeault and Bylon traded blows throughout. Despite their similar statures, contrasting styles turned the fight into a strategic battle, with the Canadian looking to aggressively attack while the Panamian preferred to pick her spots.

It was Bylon who held the advantage with three of five judges after the first round, prompting Thibeault to lean even further into her quick-strike ability. By the end of the second round, four judges had the tilt all-square, with one favouring the Canadian.

A tense final round saw the combatants take turns holding the seeming advantage, with Bylon controlling much of the pace. But a late flurry from Thibeault might have swung things the other way, and the Canadian emerged with a unanimous victory.

Thibeault now holds the 2-0 edge in title fights over Bylon — but the next one could be for the Olympic crown.

Later Friday, Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, N.S., will look to join Thibeault atop the boxing podium when he takes on Mexico's Miguel Angel Martinez in the men's 63.5kg final.

Live coverage of the Pan Am Games continues on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.