(FEB 23) Opening-Round Matchups Set for 14 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Competitors
in Bulgaria.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Boxing Elite High
Performance Team is currently in Sofia, Bulgaria, and just learned the paths to
gold for the 14 boxers competing at the 77th International Strandja Boxing
Tournament. Team USA is competing in its first international event of the year,
where seven men and seven women will step into the ring to represent USA Boxing
in Bulgaria.
On Sunday, the tournament draw took place ahead of the opening day of
competition on Monday. Competition will continue throughout the week, with the
tournament finals scheduled for Sunday, March 1. Team USA will have four boxers
making their tournament debut tomorrow, four more boxers starting their
competition on Tuesday, Feb. 24, four additional athletes set to debut on
Wednesday, Feb. 25, and two boxers stepping into the ring for their tournament
openers on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Four males from the United States will be in action on the tournament’s opening
day, three of whom will make their elite international debuts. USA Boxing will
have Lorenzo Patricio and Lavant Brownlee kick things off Monday, as both boxers
are scheduled to enter the ring approximately 9:00 a.m. ET. Both boxers will
make their elite international debuts, with Patricio facing Michael Trindade of
Brazil and Brownlee facing Luka Nikabadze of Georgia.
Following Patricio and Brownlee, Team USA’s men’s captain, Salim Ellis-Bey, will
make his tournament debut against Kazakhstan’s Ruslan Kuzeubayev at
approximately 11:15 a.m. ET.
Rounding out Monday’s slate for the Stars and Stripes is 2021 World
Championships gold medalist Robby Gonzales. The veteran boxer will make his 2026
debut against Kazakhstan’s Diaz Molzhigitov, who earned bronze at the World
Boxing Cup: Brazil 2025.
Tuesday, Team USA will see two women make their debut at the 77th International
Strandja Boxing Tournament, beginning with Paris 2024 Olympian Jennifer Lozano
squaring off against Kazakhstan’s Feruza Kazakova. Also making her debut in
Bulgaria is the United States’ 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist
Yoseline Perez. Perez will take on Germany’s Tatjana Obermeier.
As for the men’s side on Tuesday’s slate, Team USA will see Marcus Luther and
Joseph Awinongya make their elite international debuts. Luther will face
Turkey’s Yigit Us, while Joseph Awinongya will take on Romania’s Jorge Luis
Mayeta. Awinongya was a member of the United States’ Youth High Performance Team
for the past two years, earning gold at two international events throughout that
time, including the 2024 World Boxing U19 Championships.
Moving on to Wednesday, Team USA will see another Paris 2024 Olympian, Alyssa
Mendoza, enter the ring for her tournament opener. Mendoza, the women’s team
captain, will square off against Mongolia’s Nomin-Erdene Tugsjarga. Alisha
Crockett will then take the ring for her international debut and will do so
against Kazakhstan’s Rimma Volossenko.
Following Crockett on Wednesday’s schedule is Marie-Angelis Rosendo, who will
return to the international stage after making her debut last year and winning
the silver medal at the World Boxing Challenge Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem.
Rosendo will box against Kazakhstan’s Laura Yessenkeldi. On the men’s side,
Kelvin Watts will be the lone male boxer to enter the ropes on Wednesday. Watts
earned two bronze medals in 2025, his first year on the USA Boxing High
Performance roster and returns to competition for his second year of action. The
Chesapeake, Va., native will take on Germany’s Younes Ouchaou to kick off his
2026 international slate.
Finally, Team USA will have Naomi Graham and Simona Winkler making their
tournament debuts on Thursday, Feb. 26. Graham, the Tokyo 2020 Olympian, will go
head-to-head against Kazakhstan’s Mariya Sidorenko, while Winkler will box
Ukraine’s Anastasiia Chernokolenko.
Team USA Opening Bout Schedules:
Monday, Feb. 23
Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio, USA vs. Michael Trindade, Brazil | Approximately
9:00 a.m. ET
Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee, USA vs. Luka Nikabadze, Georgia | Approximately
9:00 a.m. ET
Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey, USA vs. Ruslan Kuzeubayev, Kazakhstan |
Approximately 11:15 a.m. ET
Men’s 80kg: Robby Gonzales, USA vs. Diaz Molzhigitov, Kazakhstan | Approximately
1:45 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Women’s 51kg: Jennifer Lozano, USA vs. Feruza Kazakova, Kazakhstan | Time TBD
Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez, USA vs. Tatjana Obermeier, Germany | Time TBD
Men’s 65kg: Marcus Luther, USA vs. Yigit Us, Turkey | Time TBD
Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya, USA vs. Jorge Luis Mayeta, Romania | Time TBD
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza, USA vs. Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal, Mongolia | Time
TBD
Women’s 60kg: Alisha Crockett, USA vs. Rimma Volossenko, Kazakhstan | Time TBD
Women’s 65kg: Marie-Angelis Rosendo, USA vs. Laura Yessenkeldi, Kazakhstan |
Time TBD
Men’s 90+kg: Kelvin Watts, USA vs. Younes Ouchaou, Germany | Time TBD
Thursday, Feb. 26
Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler, USA vs. Anastasiia Chernokolenko, Ukraine | Time
TBD
Women’s 75kg: Naomi Graham, USA vs. Mariya Sidorenko, Kazakhstan | Time TBD
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