Team USA’s Youth High Performance Team made a major statement in Germany
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 05 Aug 2025
Americans capture 7 Gold Medals
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 4, 2025) – Last Saturday, the United States closed out the 2025 Brandenburg Cup in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, in dominant fashion. After qualifying seven athletes for gold medal rounds, all seven Team USA boxers finished the day with their hands raised after the final bell. All told, the USA secured 11 medals for the week, including seven gold and four bronze.
Joscelyn Olayo-Munoz (women’s 48 kilograms | Las Cruces, N.M.) and Alexis Tangaro (women’s 54 kilograms | Waianae, Hawaii) were the two Team USA women's gold medalists on Saturday. Lorenzo Patricio (men’s 50 kg | Waianae, Hawaii), Salim Ellis-Bey (men’s 60 kilograms | Philadelphia, Pa.), Lavant Brownlee (men’s 65 kilograms | Louisville, Ky.), Joseph Awinongya (men’s 80 kilograms | Joliet, Ill.) and Nnajai Wright (men’s 90+ kilograms | Richmond, Va.) found their way atop the podium on the USA men’s side.
Olayo-Munoz opened the day with a flawless performance in the opening bout. She stayed on the attack against her Italian opponent, Amelia Sula, and showed her ability to be the aggressor and deal out punishment throughout the bout. Olayo-Munoz blanked Sula and ultimately earned the unanimous decision victory to earn her first international medal and set the tone for the day for Team USA.
Tangaro checked into the ring two bouts later and followed suit with a 5-0 victory of her own over Lithuania’s Jelizaveta Jakimova. The Waianae, Hawaii, product was poised in the pocket and landed her shots with precision to score the unanimous decision and earn her second win of the tournament. The medal marks the first international honor of her amateur career.
Patricio stepped back into the ring with an extra day of rest behind him and put that additional recovery to good use in his 50-kg title bout. He flustered Australia’s Taj Harrington with his movement and danced around the ring, picking his shots as he circled his foe. As he typically does, Patricio turned up the volume of his attacks throughout the bout and ultimately closed it out with a 5-0 win. After receiving his gold medal, Patricio was also named the Best Technician of the tournament after racking up three wins over the final three days.
Ellis-Bey bullied his Azerbaijan opponent, Babayev Subhan, for three rounds before ultimately scoring the 5-0 win, marking his fourth victory of the week. The Philadelphia, Pa., native applied heavy pressure throughout the bout and damaged his opponent with several heavy-handed shots. Ellis-Bey closed out his first international tournament and claimed the medal that he focused on throughout his 2025 preparations.
Brownlee closed out the week with two 5-0 decisions, one in the opening round and another in the semifinals, one RSC in the quarterfinals, and a walkover decision in Saturday’s championship bout. The 65-kg title also marks the first international medal for the Louisville, Ky., native.
Awinongya impressed the masses once again and earned his second win by abandonment of the week, this time against Australia’s Khaled Bassal. After cooking Bassal for the opening two rounds, Awinongya turned up the heat in the final round and forced another eight count with his powerful right hand, which convinced the Australian team to throw in the towel. Awinongya is no stranger to international success and claims his latest medal after earning three wins throughout the week.
Wright closed the show with an outstanding performance for the United States in the 90+ kg showdown against Germany’s Ahmed Abdulgamidov. While Abdulgamidov held an incredible reach advantage over Wright, the Richmond, Va., native had a strategic game plan in place to pick his German foe apart. Wright once again utilized his agility to find his way inside his opponent’s defense and subsequently landed a flurry of damaging uppercuts. While Abdulgamidov looked strong in the first round, Wright was able to wear him down and drag him into deep waters throughout the second and third rounds. Ultimately, Wright closed the bout with a 3-0 decision, regaining favor from the judges after falling behind early in the bout.
The USA Boxing Youth High Performance team has successfully concluded its international schedule for 2025. Of the 13 athletes in competition at the Brandenburg Cup, 11 left with medals. All 14 athletes on the Youth High Performance roster have shown tremendous potential throughout the year and are sure to leave a lasting legacy within the USA Boxing High Performance department throughout the current Olympic cycle.
Team USA is led by head coach Edward Fonteneaux (Fayetteville, N.C.), and assisted by Jason Hamilton (Spanaway, Wash.), Ronald Wright (Columbus, Ga.) and Yessenia Montalvo (Bloomfield, N.J.). To view a complete review of Team USA’s successful week at the 2025 Brandenburg Cup, head to the USA Boxing tournament page, linked HERE.
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