(OCT 18) PUEBLA, Mexico — USA Boxing’s
Elite High Performance Team has arrived in Puebla, Mexico, to compete in the
2026 PanAmerican Championships. Serving as Team USA's final international
tournament of the year, the event runs from October 18-24 inside the Miguel
Hidalgo Gymnasium. A balanced roster of 14 elite athletes—seven men and seven
women—will represent the United States on the continental stage.
The action kicks off today, Sunday, October 18, with three American men entering
the ring during the opening sessions:
Joseph Awinongya (90 kg) opens his tournament in the round of 32 against Costa
Rica’s Jaisen Steve Robinson Kohn during Session One, Bout 8 (approx. 4:15 p.m.
ET).
Lavant Brownlee (70 kg) follows in Session Two, Bout 4 (approx. 8:15 p.m. ET)
against the Dominican Republic’s Ricardo Cuello.
Rahim Gonzales (80 kg) closes out opening day in a highly anticipated Session
Two, Bout 10 matchup (approx. 9:45 p.m. ET) against Cuba’s Jorge Cuellar.
On Monday, October 19, three more Americans take the stage. Jajaira Gonzalez (60
kg) jumps straight into the quarterfinals against Canada’s Marie Al Ahmadieh.
Meanwhile, recent China gold medalist Lorenzo Patricio (55 kg) battles Panama’s
Luis Pachay, and Salim Ellis-Bey (60 kg) squares off against Venezuela’s Wilson
Solorzano, both in the round of 32.
Tuesday, October 20 features a busy four-fighter lineup. Alyssa Mendoza (57 kg),
Simona Winkler (70 kg), and Marcus Luther (65 kg) all earned opening-round byes
and await the winners of preliminary bouts. Marie Rosendo (65 kg) starts her
tournament in the round of 32 against Mexico’s Darianne Hernandez, with a
potential high-stakes matchup against two-time Olympic medalist Beatriz Ferreira
of Brazil waiting in the next round.
The remaining preliminary and quarterfinal bouts take place mid-week. On
Wednesday, October 21, Noelle Haro (51 kg), Kendra Samargis (75 kg), and super
heavyweight Gilbert Kabamba (90+ kg) make their tournament debuts. Yoseline
Perez (54 kg) rounds out the scheduled opening bouts for Team USA on Thursday,
October 22, in a bantamweight quarterfinal matchup.
The star-studded roster is led by USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado
Springs, Colo.). He is supported by National High Performance Coach Nikki
Burleson (Oklahoma City, Okla.), National Technical Coach Zaur Antia, as well as
coaches Billy Rafalko (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Jay Nimo (Dallas, Texas).
For brackets, live streams, and daily results, visit the official USA Boxing
PanAmerican Championships event page. Full Press release on WBAN's New
website.
https://womenboxing.org
