BUDVA, Montenegro (October 27, 2026) -- The 2026 World Boxing U19 Championships, held in Budva, Montenegro, concluded on Oct. 27, 2026. Team USA sent 15 boxers, eight men and seven women, to the World Boxing Championships, and the 12-day competition ended with the Stars and Stripes earning two gold medals on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, three women stepped into the ring for Team USA, including team captain Lauryn Elmore (women’s 65 kg) and Marley McNealy (women’s 70 kg). McNealy was the first of the three to enter the ring, and she got the day started with a gold medal, defeating Uzbekistan’s Maftuna Yangieva by a 4:1 split decision. The San Francisco native won the first round 5:0 and never looked back, winning the second round 4:1 and the final round 3:2. In her gold medal run, she earned four dominant victories, including two unanimous decision wins, one RSC victory, and then her 4:1 split decision victory in the gold medal round. This marks her second international medal, as she won bronze earlier this year at the World Boxing Futures Cup in Thailand.

Rounding out the day, Team USA saw Elmore enter the ring, and she ended her impressive run with her second gold medal of the year. The Sacramento native defeated Russia’s Bella Zueva by unanimous decision, 5:0, after a gritty and resilient comeback. Elmore lost the first round 5:0, but answered by sweeping the final two rounds, winning each 5:0. She went on to win four bouts in Montenegro, including two by unanimous decision and two by 3:2 split decision. She ends her 2026 international campaign 7-0, with two gold medals. She now has three international medals, including a bronze in 2025 at the 2025 Brandenburg Cup in Germany.

In addition to Team USA’s two gold medals, Ruby Lopez (women’s 51 kg) also earned a silver medal. On Tuesday, she entered the ring for the fifth time, but fell short, losing by a 4:1 split decision to Uzbekistan’s Nazokat Mardonova. Lopez won four matches on her silver-medal run, including a 4:0 semifinal win to reach the final, a 3:2 win over China to secure the medal, and a unanimous decision and RSC win in the preliminary rounds.

Team USA earned five medals in Budva, Montenegro, at the 2026 World Boxing U19 Championships. Asaan Jenkins (men’s 65 kg) and Guadalupe Ruiz (women’s 54 kg) secured bronze medals for Team USA, with Jenkins winning four bouts and Ruiz winning two. Jenkins' bronze medal marks his second bronze of the year, while Ruiz's marks her second medal, after she won gold in Thailand. All medalists are listed below.

After the 2026 World Boxing U19 Championships, Team USA closes out its international competition schedule for the year. The USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team will now turn its attention to the 2027 calendar year.

Tuesday, Oct. 27 Results

Women’s 70 kg: Marley McNealy, USA vs Maftuna Yangieva, UZB | W 4-1

Women’s 51 kg: Ruby Lopez, USA vs. Nazokat Mardonova, UZB | L 4:1

Women’s 65 kg: Lauryn Elmore, USA vs. Bella Zueva, RUS | W 5-0

USA Boxing Youth High Performance Medalists

Weight Class Boxer Medal Hometown
Women's 70 kg Marley McNealy Gold San Francisco, CA
Women’s 65 kg Lauryn Elmore Gold Sacramento, CA
Women’s 51 kg Ruby Lopez Silver Napa, CA
Men's 65 kg Asaan Jenkins Bronze Washington D.C.
Women’s 54 kg Guadalupe Ruiz Bronze Anaheim, CA

 

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