The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team wrapped up its week at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament on Sunday in Sofia, Bulgaria, with solid results: seven medals earned by team members.
Lavant Brownlee and Lorenzo Patricio each won their first elite international medal during the final day of competition. Brownlee closed the tournament with a gold medal in the 70-kilogram (welterweight) division, while Patricio finished his tournament with a silver medal in the 55-kilogram (bantamweight) division.
Lavant Brownlee Wins Gold
Brownlee competed in his first elite international tournament, winning five matches, three by unanimous decision. He defeated Farukh Tokhtassunov of Kazakhstan after the judges scored the bout in Brownlee’s favor by a 4-1 decision.
After winning the opening round 3-2, Brownlee increased his pressure over the final six minutes of competition and won each of the last two rounds by more definitive 4-1 scores.
Brownlee wasted no time showing that he is among the world’s best in the men’s 70-kilogram division after dominating the Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament. Only one of his five bouts in Bulgaria ended in a split decision. He won three bouts by unanimous decision, and one was handed to Brownlee by way of walkover.
Lorenzo Patricio Secures Silver
Team USA also saw Lorenzo Patricio compete on Sunday against Maksym Zymenko of Ukraine in the 55-kilogram title bout. Patricio battled it out with Zymenko for three rounds of competitive action, coming up one round short on a 3-2 split decision.
Patricio secured a silver medal in his first elite international tournament, his first-ever elite international medal. The United States’ 55-kilogram representative was competitive throughout the gold medal bout and kept the matchup incredibly close heading into the final round. The native of Waianae, Hawaii, will take the experience into his next international competition, the 2026 World Boxing Cup in Brazil in April.
USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team Results
The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team secured 22 wins out of its 35 total bouts throughout the week, resulting in seven medals for half of the team’s 14 members. Eleven team members earned at least one win in their respective brackets, including four women and seven men.
In addition to Brownlee’s gold medal and Patricio’s silver medal, the USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team earned five bronze medals from Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas), Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), Simona Winkler (Seattle, Wash.), Naomi Graham (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Joseph Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.).
The Stars and Stripes will now have a quick turnaround as members prepare for the first World Boxing Cup of 2026, scheduled for April 20-26 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
The single medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was Omari Jones. USA Boxing hopes to enjoy home cooking at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Final tournament information for the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament is posted on the USA Boxing website.
Team USA 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament Medalists
Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee | Gold
Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio | Silver
Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez | Bronze
Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza | Bronze
Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler | Bronze
Women’s 75kg: Naomi Graham | Bronze
Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya | Bronze
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.