Team USA Boxers Advance Monday at World Championships

Day 5 of the 2025 World Boxing Championships saw two more victories from Team USA Boxing in Liverpool.

Featherweight (54-kilogram) Yoseline Perez of Houston, and heavyweight (90-kilogram) competitor Malachi Georges of Teaneck, New Jersey both advanced to the quarterfinals in their divisions.

Yoseline Perez Switches To Southpaw

Perez continued her successful 2025 campaign with a unanimous decision victory over Jennifer Lehane of Ireland. Perez was in charge from start to finish and used her length to keep
Lehane at a distance throughout the entirety of the bout.

After claiming a 3-2 split in the opening round, the Texas native picked up the pace over the final six minutes and registered 5-0 scores in each of the final two rounds.

Lehane was docked a point for attempting to slow the bout with constant holding. Perez’s movement around the ring allowed her to wear out the Irish Olympian. Typically an orthodox boxer, Perez decided to switch her style for the round-of-16 matchup and fluctuated between southpaw and orthodox stances, frustrating Lehane while limiting her typically aggressive strategy.

“I decided to take a big risk today by switching to southpaw,” said Perez about her strategy in heading into the matchup. “It wasn’t even part of the plan, but sometimes you’ve gotta just risk it. That’s what I did.”

Big Knockout Win for Malachi Georges

Malachi Georges capitalized on the moment in his matchup against Levente Kiss of Hungary in their heavyweight (90-kilogram) round of 16 bout. The American used his athleticism to move in and out of range before closing out the match in the second round with a devastating left hook to the Hungarian’s liver, dropping Kiss to the canvas and forcing the referee to stop the bout for the knockout win.

Georges is getting noticed for his punching power, as he has two stoppage wins in his last two international appearances.

“I’m more and more a student of the game,” said Georges. “For this knockout, it was the jab. I’m growing and getting better. I’m starting to pick up on things a lot better.”

George shut out Kiss with a unanimous decision in their previous meeting in the Czech Republic earlier this year. In Monday’s fight, the familiarity with Kiss’s wide hooks was a big plus. He was ready when his opportunity presented itself and struck at the perfect time to deliver the knockout punch.

Kelvin Watts was also in action for the United States in the final session of the day against China. While the USA super heavyweight battled throughout the bout, he was defeated via unanimous decision.

Tuesday Team USA Action in Liverpool

Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas got the only victory Sunday for Team USA at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. Photo: Luke Santangelo, USA Boxing

Team USA will see two boxers in action during Tuesday’s competition, including women’s
lightweight (60-kilogram) competitor Jajaira Gonzalez and men’s light heavyweight (80-kilogram) contender Robby Gonzales. Both boxers will take the ring during the opening session, which is slated to begin Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET.

Jajaira Gonzalez, a Paris 2024 Olympian, is scheduled to take on Poland’s Aneta Rygielska in the round of 16 matchup, beginning at approximately 8:15 a.m. ET. Rygielska has represented her nation three times at world championship events and five times at the European Championships.

Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas will square off against Gabrijel Veocic of Croatia in the round of 16 for the light heavyweight (80-kilogram) division in the final bout of the opening session, beginning at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Gonzales is on the hunt for his second world championship and enters the bout with one win on the week. His Croatian opponent earned the gold medal at the 2024 European Games and competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.