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Philippines, 23 Feb 2026 |
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Opening Round Bouts Set for Team USA at 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament PhilBoxing.com Mon, 23 Feb 2026 Opening-Round Matchups Set for 14 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Competitors in Bulgaria COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (February 22, 2026) – 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. 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, HERE. Additional 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. 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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