Yoseline Perez, Alyssa Mendoza, Simona Winkler and Naomi Graham Advance to Medal Rounds; Lavant Brownlee Progresses to Quarterfinals

(FEB 26) SOFIA, Bulgaria  – 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.

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.

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

Friday, February 27 Schedule:

Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio vs. Samandar Olimov, Uzbekistan | Ring B | ~7:45 a.m. ET

Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey vs. Luiz Oliveira, Brazil | Ring A | ~8:15 a.m. ET

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee vs. Uulu Mukhammedsabry Bazarbay, Kazakhstan | Ring B | ~9:15 a.m. ET

Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya vs. Daulet Tulemissov, Kazakhstan | Ring A | ~12:45 p.m. ET

Men’s 90+kg: Kelvin Watts vs. Yordan Morejon, Bulgaria | Ring A | ~1:00 p.m. ET

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