What to Know
- USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Team won eight medals at this week’s PanAmerican Championships in Mexico, including four gold medals
- Alyssa Mendoza, Jajaira Gonzalez, Lorenzo Patricio and Gilbert Kabamba all won gold for Team USA.
- The PanAmerican Championships conclude the competition year for 2026. USA Boxing will now start preparing for 2027 competition ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Team secured four gold medals at the 2026 PanAmerican Championships at the Miguel Hidalgo Gymnasium in Puebla, Mexico.
Gold Medal Achievements in Puebla
Alyssa Mendoza, Jajaira Gonzalez, Lorenzo Patricio and Gilbert Kabamba all earned victories on Saturday, October 24.
Featherweight Alyssa Mendoza (57 kgs) started the gold medal run, as the Idaho native was the first American to enter the ring on Saturday. She defeated Brazil’s 2024 Paris Olympian Jucie Cerqueira by unanimous decision after winning all three rounds.
Mendoza had an impressive 3-0 gold medal campaign, winning every bout by unanimous decision. Her 2026 PanAmerican Championships gold medal marks her second medal of the year.
After Mendoza, Team USA saw lightweight division competitor Jajaira Gonzalez (60 kgs) win her gold medal in the second session by unanimous decision over Colombia’s Camila Camilo. The 2024 Paris Olympian earned three wins on her path to gold, including 3-2 wins over Canada and 5-0 wins over Brazil and Colombia. This gold medal marks the first of the year for Gonzalez.
On the men’s side, bantamweight Lorenzo Patricio (55 kgs) earned a 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Michael Trindade. The Hawaii native has dominated for Team USA in 2026, with a 15-2 record, three medals, and now two gold medals. Patricio secured four victories in Mexico, all by
unanimous decision, in his path to gold.
The final gold medal earned for Team USA Saturday came from heavyweight Gilbert Kabamba (90+ kgs), who secured his third 5-0 unanimous decision win of the week after defeating Colombia’s Juan Patiño. After falling 5-0 in the first round, Kabamba responded in the second and third rounds, sweeping both to earn the unanimous decision win.
This was Kabamba’s first tournament with USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Team, and he made an impressive debut, winning all his bouts by unanimous decision. This gold medal marks his second of the year, as he won gold earlier at the 2026 Copa America with USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Squad.
Yoseline Perez and Simona Winkler both earned silver medals in competition.
Perez lost in the gold medal final 5-0 to Venezuela’s Diana Maestre. Winkler lost 4-1 to Brazil’s Viviane Pereira. Both boxers are taking home silver medals after a strong week with two wins this wek in Mexico.
USA Boxing sent a team of 14 athletes to Puebla, Mexico, and eight will head home with medals.
Head Coach Billy Walsh and his coaching staff led Team USA to four gold medals, two silver
medals, and two bronze medals. All medalists are listed below.
After the 2026 PanAmerican Championships, Team USA closes out its international competition schedule for the year. The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team will now turn its attention to the 2027 calendar year.
Team USA Boxing Medalists
Men’s 55 kg (Bantamweight): Lorenzo Patricio | Gold
Women’s 57 kg (Featherweight): Alyssa Mendoza | Gold
Women’s 60 kg (Lightweight): Jajaira Gonzalez | Gold
Men’s 90+ kg (Heavyweight): Gilbert Kabamba | Gold
Women’s 54 kg (Bantamweight): Yoseline Perez | Silver
Women’s 70 kg (Junior Middleweight): Simona Winkler | Silver
Women’s 51 kg (Flyweight): Noelle Haro | Bronze
Men’s 60 kg (Lightweight): Salim Ellis-Bey | Bronze
Women’s 57 kg (Featherweight): Alyssa Mendoza | Gold
Women’s 60 kg (Lightweight): Jajaira Gonzalez | Gold
Men’s 90+ kg (Heavyweight): Gilbert Kabamba | Gold
Women’s 54 kg (Bantamweight): Yoseline Perez | Silver
Women’s 70 kg (Junior Middleweight): Simona Winkler | Silver
Women’s 51 kg (Flyweight): Noelle Haro | Bronze
Men’s 60 kg (Lightweight): Salim Ellis-Bey | Bronze
USA Boxing was established to promote and grow Olympic-style boxing in the United States
and to inspire the tireless pursuit of Olympic gold and enable athletes and coaches to achieve
sustained competitive excellence. Additionally, USA Boxing endeavors to teach all participants
the character, confidence and focus they need to become resilient and diverse champions, both
in and out of the ring.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
