Robby Gonzales Advances to Round of 16 with Win Over Cuba
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Sep 2025
Gonzales Earns 80-Kilogram Split-Decision Victory in Tournament Debut
LIVERPOOL, England (September 7, 2025) -- Robby Gonzales led the way for the United States on day four of the 2025 World Boxing Championships. Gonzales headlined a list of four American boxers, claiming the nation’s lone victory on Sunday inside M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Gonzales is one of six United States boxers still in contention at the World Boxing Championships, including three males and three females.
Gonzales wasted no time pressuring his Cuban opponent, Jorge Soto Napoles, during the 80-kilogram matchup, which marked the Las Vegas, Nev., native’s tournament debut. Throughout the opening round, Gonzales applied a balance of forward pressure, while dancing around the ring to wear Napoles out before claiming the round with a decisive score of 4-1.
Although he did not land many punches in the opening round, Napoles turned up the heat in the second round, forcing Gonzales to hunt for point-scoring combinations. Gonzales was not fazed by the Cuban’s strategy and began settling in with devastating lead hooks to Napoles’ chin. While Gonzales maintained his lead heading into the final round, his margin was trimmed to 3-2 by Napoles.
With three minutes of competition remaining, Gonzales locked in and upped his pace once again, increasing his volume of punches along the way. He continued to tag the Cuban with sturdy jabs and powerful hooks. Living by his motto “shock the body,” Gonzales closed the bout with a flurry of scoring punches that swayed the judges into a 3-2 decision in his favor.
“Like I said, dig deep,” Gonzales stated when asked about what it will take to capture a world title in Liverpool. “It showed today. I wanted it, and I know that the next round is going to be even tougher. Each day is going to get tougher, but I’m ready for the challenge.”
The United States had three other competitors in action throughout Sunday’s schedule, including Orlando Zamora (55 kilograms | Turlock, Calif.), Isabella Winkler (70 kilograms | Seattle, Wash.) and Rene Camacho (60 kilograms | Houston, Texas). Zamora was defeated via a 4-0 decision by Bulgaria’s Javier Ibanez Diaz, Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist.
Winkler showed promise in her international debut but was defeated 3-2 by Türkiye’s two-time World Championships bronze medalist Sema Caliskan. Camacho concluded his run at the tournament following a 5-0 defeat to England’s Patris Mughalzai.
Team USA will see three boxers in action during Monday’s slate of two sessions. Yoseline Perez will open things up for the Stars and Stripes in Ring A, bout four, against Ireland’s Jennifer Lehane, a Paris 2024 Olympian. The 54-kilogram showdown will begin at approximately 7:45 a.m. ET, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals.
Malachi Georges, the USA’s 90-kilogram competitor, will enter the ring later in that same session against Hungary’s Levente Kiss in Ring A, bout 13, at approximately 10 a.m. ET. The matchup will be the second of the year between Georges and Kiss, as the two stood toe-to-toe at the World Boxing Challenge Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem earlier this year, with Georges earning the unanimous decision.
Kelvin Watts will wrap the evening for the United States in the 90+ kilogram division against China’s Danabieke Bayikewuzi. Bayikewuzi is a 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist and also finished fifth overall at the 2023 Men’s World Championships. Watts and Bayikewuzi are scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Every day of the 2025 World Boxing Championships will be broadcast live and free on worldboxing.org. To follow the six remaining United States boxers competing at the world championships, visit the USA Boxing event page. For all tournament information, go to WorldBoxingLiverpool.com. Team USA’s complete schedule for Monday’s action is listed below.
Monday, September 8:
Session 1:
54 kg: Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) vs. Jennifer Lehane, IRL - Ring A, Bout 4 | Approximately 7:45 a.m. ET
90 kg: Malachi Georges (Teaneck, N.J.) vs. Levente Kiss, HUN - Ring A, Bout 13 | Approximately 10:00 a.m. ET
Session 2:
90+ kg: Kelvin Watts (Chesapeake, Va.) vs. Danabieke Bayikewuzi, CHN - Ring A, Bout 14 | Approximately 4:15 p.m. ET
INFORMATION:
www.usaboxing.org
Twitter: @USABoxing
Instagram: @USABoxing
Facebook: /USABoxing
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