Patricio, Brownlee & Awinongya Enter Medal Rounds

Day Five Of Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament!

(February 28th) The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team saw three men’s boxers enter the medal rounds on Friday at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Lorenzo Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii), Lavant Brownlee (Louisville, Ky.) and Joseph Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.) each secured unanimous decision victories during the day, bringing the United States to a guaranteed seven medals for the tournament. The Red, White and Blue will now see seven boxers competing in Saturday’s semifinal rounds, including four women and three men.

Patricio earned his first unanimous decision victory of the week, his third victory of the tournament, after claiming the first two rounds by a score of 5-0 and the final round 3-2 over Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov. Now entering the medal rounds, this marks Patricio’s first elite international medal, and he will face Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu in the semifinal matchup. Patricio plans to knock out another known name on the elite international boxing scene, as Kharkhuu claimed a bronze medal at the 2025 World Boxing Championship in Liverpool, England.

Following Patricio, Brownlee dominated once again, earning his second unanimous decision victory of the tournament with a 5-0 decision over Kazakhstan’s Bazarbay Uulu Mukhammedsabry, a Paris 2024 Olympic quarterfinalist. The Kentucky native secured his first elite international medal with the win and will now square off with Brazil’s Kaian Oliveira on Saturday. A win over Oliveira would be impressive for Team USA’s slick southpaw, as the Brazilian claimed a gold medal at the 2025 World Boxing Cup: Astana before appearing in the 2025 World Boxing Championships just months later.

Securing the final win of the day for Team USA was Awinongya, the heavyweight representative who is beginning his takeover of the elite international division. After dropping the first round 3-2, the Illinois native showed his resilience and adaptability by turning up his pace in the final two rounds and earning 5-0 scorecards in each. Awinongya’s unanimous decision over Kazakhstan’s Daulet Tulemissov marked his second such victory of the week and vaulted him into a semifinal matchup on Saturday against Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev. Saturday’s contest will be a certified test for Awinongya against a 2025 World Boxing Championships gold medalist and a Paris 2024 Olympic quarterfinalist.

Also competing for the Stars and Stripes on Friday were Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Kelvin Watts (Chesapeake, Va.). Both boxers managed to go the distance in their respective bouts, but unfortunately fell short. Ellis-Bey was defeated 5-0 by Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, a World Boxing Championships silver medalist and a Paris 2024 Olympian. Watts nearly mounted a comeback against Bulgaria’s Yordan Morejon but fell just shy with a 3-2 decision.

The United States will now look ahead to an action-packed Saturday with seven boxers competing in the semifinals, all of whom will look to punch their tickets to the gold medal round with a win. On the women’s side, the Red, White, and Blue will see the 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist, Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas), face England’s Lauren Mackie, followed by Paris 2024 Olympian, Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), against Ireland’s Michaela Walsh.

Third on the docket for Team USA will be Simona Winkler in a women’s 70-kilogram matchup against Brazil’s Vivian Dos Santos Pereira. Rounding out the women’s competitors will be Tokyo 2020 Olympian Naomi Graham versus Uzbekistan’s Aziz Zokirova in the 75-kilogram division.

Patricio, Brownlee and Awinongya will contest their bouts in the evening session.

Additional information and schedules for boxers who advance throughout the Strandja 2026 tournament will be updated throughout the week. Each round of the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament will be broadcast live on the tournament event page, linked (click here).

Tournament information, including daily bout sheets, results, tournament updates, and more, can be found on the USA Boxing website, where followers can find the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament event page.

Friday, February 27 Results:

Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio, USA VS. Samandar Olimov, Uzbekistan | W 5-0

Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey, USA VS. Luiz Oliveira, Brazil | L 5-0

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee, USA VS. Uulu Mukhammedsabry Bazarbay, Kazakhstan | W 5-0

Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya, USA VS. Daulet Tulemissov, Kazakhstan | W 5-0

Men’s 90+kg: Kelvin Watts, USA VS. Yordan Morejon, Bulgaria | L 3-2

About USA Boxing

USA Boxing was established to promote and grow Olympic-style boxing in the United States and to inspire the tireless pursuit of Olympic gold and enable athletes and coaches to achieve sustained competitive excellence. Additionally, USA Boxing endeavors to teach all participants the character, confidence and focus they need to become resilient and diverse champions, both in and out of the ring. USA Boxing is one team, one nation, going for gold!

Four United States Women's Boxers Shine Bright

On Day Four Of  Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament

Yoseline Perez, Alyssa Mendoza, Simona Winkler

And Naomi Graham Advance To Medal Rounds;

Lavant Brownlee Progresses To Quarterfinals!

(February 26th) The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team continued its dominance with five wins on day four of the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament. Of those victories, four boxers punched their tickets to the medal rounds. USA Boxing saw four women dominate, each of whom secured 5-0 unanimous decisions in their quarterfinal appearances.

The USA Boxing Women’s contingent showed out on Wednesday, beginning with a dominant performance from Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) over Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova. Perez has now earned two unanimous decision victories this week and is guaranteed to return home with a medal in hand, which will be her first of 2026. The USA’s 54-kilogram representative will now take on England’s Lauren Mackie in a semifinal showdown on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Next up on the day was Team USA’s Women’s Captain, Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), who also secured her second unanimous decision victory of the tournament. Mendoza cruised past Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek on Thursday and earned a spot in the semifinals on Saturday, where she will take on Ireland’s Michaela Walsh.

Simona Winkler (Seattle, Wash.) carried the success of her teammates into her quarterfinal matchup against Ukraine’s Anastasiia Chernokolenko and asserted her presence throughout the bout before collecting a 5-0 victory over the Ukrainian. Winkler advances into the medal rounds of the women’s 70-kilogram weight class and will now take on Brazil’s Viviane Dos Santos Pereira on Saturday.

Naomi Graham closed the day for the United States and cashed in on a unanimous decision of her own over Kazakhstan’s Mariya Sidorenko. Graham, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, was in control of the bout from start to finish and displayed the demeanor that is typical of an Olympian over her Kazakh

counterpart. Her hand was raised while the announcer communicated her 5-0 victory, and she will now turn her attention to the medal rounds of the 75-kilogram weight class, where she will take on Uzbekistan’s Aziz Zokirova on Saturday.

Lavant Brownlee (Louisville, Ky.) also earned a win on Thursday, doing so via walkover against Armenia’s Harutyun Hakobkokhyan. With the result, Brownlee moves on to the quarterfinals of the men’s 70-kilogram division and will face Kazakhstan’s Uulu Mukhammedsabry Bazarbay on Friday, Feb. 27.

Also boxing for the United States on Thursday was Marcus Luther (Washington, D.C.) in the men’s 65-kilogram weight class. Luther went the distance against his Kazakhstan foe but found himself on the wrong end of a 4-1 decision.

Looking ahead to Friday’s slate for Team USA, there will be five men’s boxers in contention in the quarterfinals. Kicking things off is Lorenzo Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii) against Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov in the 55-kilogram division. Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) will step into the ring two bouts later to take on Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, a 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist, in a 60-kilogram clash. Brownlee will close out the day’s opening session against Kazakhstan.

In the evening session, Joseph Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.) returns to the ring for a 90-kilogram matchup against Kazakhstan’s Daulet Tulemissov. Kelvin Watts will close the day for the Red, White and Blue against Bulgaria’s Yordan Morejon. A win from each of the USA’s five competing boxers will advance them to the semifinals of their respective weight classes, which will be contested on Saturday.

Thursday, February 26 Results:

Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez, USA vs. Zhaina Shekerbekova, Kazakhstan | W, 5-0

Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza, USA vs. Ulzhan Sarsenbek, Kazakhstan | W, 5-0

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee, USA vs. Harutyun Hakobkokhyan, Armenia | W, Walkover

Men’s 65kg: Marcus Luther, USA vs. Yertugan Zeinulinov, Kazakhstan | L, 4-1

Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler, USA vs. Anastasiia Chernokolenko, Ukraine | W, 5-0

Women’s 75kg: Naomi Graham, USA vs. Mariya Sidorenko, Kazakhstan | W, 5-0

Alyssa Mendoza, Salim Ellis-Bey & Kelvin Watts Secure Wins on Day Three of 2026 Strandja Boxing Tournament!

(February 25th) USA Boxing earned three more wins at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday. Team USA saw six boxers enter the ring throughout the day, and the three winners secured their positions in the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes.

Team USA’s women’s captain, Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), kicked off the day for the Americans and nabbed her first win of 2026. The Paris 2024 Olympian earned a unanimous decision over Mongolia’s Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will face Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek on Thursday, Feb. 26.

As for the men’s team, Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) secured his second victory in Bulgaria by claiming a unanimous decision, his first of the week, over Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan. Ellis-Bey will now square off against Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, a 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist and a Paris 2024 Olympian, on Friday, Feb. 27.

Earning Team USA’s final victory of the day was the super heavyweight Kelvin Watts (Chesapeake, Va.). The two-time international medalist stamped his first win of the year with a decisive 5-0 result over Germany’s Younes Ouchaou. With the win, Watts advances to the quarterfinals to take on Bulgaria’s Yordan Morejon.

Also competing for the United States on Wednesday were Alisha Crockett (Phoenix, Arizona), Marie-Angelis Rosendo (Deland, Fla.) and Robby Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.). While each of their Americans went the distance in their respective bouts, Crockett, Rosendo and Gonzales each fell by a 5-0 decision.

Team USA will see another active day on Thursday, Feb. 26, with six Americans competing, four of whom will contest quarterfinal matchups. With medal rounds implications on the line, Team USA has its first opportunity to guarantee medals in those quarterfinal matchups on Thursday. Winners in the quarterfinal rounds will advance to the medal rounds and continue their pursuit of gold medals.

The USA Boxing Elite High Performance team will face four Kazakhstan boxers on Thursday, beginning with Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) against Zhaina Shekerbekova. After Perez, Alyssa Mendoza will return to the ring for the second consecutive day of competition, this time against Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek. Simona Winkler (Seattle, Wash.) and Naomi Graham will make their tournament debuts in the quarterfinals, with Winkler facing Ukraine’s Anastasiia Chernokolenko and Graham taking on Kazakhstan’s Mariya Sidorenko.

As for the United States’ men’s contingent, Marcus Luther (Washington, D.C.) returns to the ring after earning a second-round RSC in his elite international debut against Turkey on Tuesday. Luther will face a 2025 World Boxing Championships bronze medalist from Kazakhstan, Yertugan Zeinulinov. Lavant Brownlee (Louisville, Ky.) will then close the day for Team USA and will do so against Armenia’s Harutyun Hakobkokhyan.

Wednesday, February 25 Results:

Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza vs. Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal, Mongolia | W 5-0

Women’s 60kg: Alisha Crockett vs. Rimma Volossenko, Kazakhstan | L 5-0

Women’s 65kg: Marie-Angelis Rosendo vs. Laura Yessenkeldi, Kazakhstan | L 5-0

Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey vs. Artur Bazeyan, Armenia | W 5-0

Men’s 80kg: Robby Gonzales vs. Wanderley Pereira, Brazil | L 5-0

Men’s 90+kg: Kelvin Watts vs. Younes Ouchaou, Germany | W 5-0

United States Captures Four More Wins

On Day Two Of Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament!

(February 25th) The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team continued its dominance on day two of the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament, earning four more wins throughout Tuesday’s schedule. Team USA saw three boxers advance to the quarterfinals and one boxer advance to the Round of 16 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Team USA earned its first female victory of the tournament early on Tuesday after Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) picked up right where she left off from last year. Perez dominated from start to finish, winning every judge’s vote, and delivered an 8-count in the third round of her 54-kilogram matchup. The Houston native secured a 5-0 victory over Germany’s Tatjana Obermeier and will now move on to the quarterfinals to face Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova on Thursday, Feb. 26.

As for the men’s side, Team USA saw two more boxers make their elite international debuts. Marcus Luther (Washington, D.C.) and Joseph Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.) each nabbed statement performances in their debuts, as Luther captured a win via RSC in the second round and Awinongya won via a unanimous decision. Luther dominated the first round, winning 5-0, including a 10-8 score from one judge. He then picked up his pace in round two and landed a right hook on Turkey’s Yigit Us, forcing the ref to stop the contest. Luther will now square off with Kazakhstan’s Yertugan Zeinulinov on Thursday, Feb. 26.

As for Awinongya, the Illinois native won every judge’s vote throughout the bout, earning a dominant 5-0 victory over Romania’s Jorge Luis Mayeta. Awinongya will now move on to the quarterfinals to face Kazakhstan’s Daulet Tulemissov on Friday, Feb. 27.

Also securing a win on Tuesday was Lorenzo Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii), marking his second victory of the event. After securing a 3-2 victory over Brazil’s Michael Trindade on Monday, Patricio went head-to-head with Timur Kabdeshov out of Kazakhstan in Tuesday’s Round of 16 matchup. The Team USA 55-kilogram representative got off to another hot start, winning the first round 4-1 before closing the bout with his second 4-1 decision of the week. Patricio will now face Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov in the quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 27.

Team USA also saw Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas) compete on Tuesday in her tournament opener against Uzbekistan’s Feruza Kazakova. Lozano kept it close throughout the bout and entered the final round with a 2-1 deficit but ultimately fell short to her Kazakh counterpart by a 4-1 decision.

The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team will see six more boxers competing on Wednesday, Feb. 25, including four boxers making their tournament debuts. Kicking it off day three for Team USA is the women’s captain and Paris 2024 Olympian Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho). Mendoza will take on Mongolia’s Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal in session one, Ring A, at approximately 8 a.m. ET.

Following Mendoza is Alisha Crockett (Phoenix, Arizona), who will make her international debut against Kazakhstan’s Rimma Volossenko in session one, Ring A, at approximately 9 a.m. ET. Rounding out the women’s team on Wednesday’s slate is Marie-Angelis Rosendo (Deland, Fla.), who will go head-to-head with Kazakhstan’s Laura Yessenkeldi in session two, Ring B, at approximately 11:30 a.m. ET.

Looking ahead at the three Team USA men’s boxers competing on Wednesday, Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Robby Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.) will return to the ring in the Round of 16, looking to advance to the quarterfinals, while Kelvin Watts makes his tournament debut in the Round of 16 in the 90+ kilogram division.

Ellis-Bey will face Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan in session one, Ring A, at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET, closing out the first session for the United States. Gonzales will face Brazil’s Wanderley Pereira in session two, Ring B, at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET. Watts will then close the day for the United States with his tournament opener in the 90+ kilogram division, where he will take on Germany’s Younes Ouchaou.

Tuesday, February 24 Results:

Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez, USA vs. Tatjana Obermeier, Germany | W 5-0

Women’s 51kg: Jennifer Lozano, USA vs. Feruza Kazakova, Uzbekistan | L 4-1

Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio, USA vs. Timur Kabdeshov, Kazakhstan | W 4-1

Men’s 65kg: Marcus Luther, USA vs. Yigit Us, Turkey | W RSC-2

Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya, USA vs. Jorge Luis Mayeta, Romania | W 5-0