Yoselina Perez Wins Silver For USA at World Boxing Championships

Yoselina Perez of Houston concluded her run at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, with a silver medal for the United States.

Perez fought a competitive bout, but narrowly lost 3-2 to Hsiao-Wen Huang of Chinese Taipei in the bantamweight (54-kilogram) division title match on Sunday at the M&S Bank Arena. Perez was the only medalist from the United States. She won three bouts to reach the finals.

“I feel good, happy with the performances that I’ve put out this entire year, not just this tournament,” Perez noted following Sunday’s title bout. “It’s been a really good year for me.”

Championship Effort From Yoselina Perez

Perez delivered a tremendous performance on behalf of USA Boxing in taking on an opponent seven years older in Huang, a two-time Olympian from Chinese Taipei. Despite Huang’s more extensive international boxing career, including a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, two world championships, and multiple medals at the Asian Games, Perez refused to back down throughout the three-round bout.

Huang narrowly took the opening round by a 3-2 margin by using her length advantage over Perez to consistently land her jab. Between rounds, Perez listened to her corner and made the necessary adjustments for round two. Throughout the second round, Perez pressed Huang and routinely slipped Huang’s jab to land critical hooks to the body and uppercuts to the chin. Perez’s adjustments made the difference, and she won the second round 3-2 in her favor.

The final round would determine the winner with the scorecards tied at 1-1, setting the stage for a crucial effort. Throughout the final three minutes of competition, Huang got the judges’ narrow 3-2 call, earning the right to raise her hand with a final score of 4-1.

Perez wrapped up her year of international competition with three silver medals and one gold medal from her four appearances, earning a medal every time out.

“Second place is just a reminder that there’s always room for improvement and work that needs to be made in adjustments, so I thank God for that. I’m excited for the next couple of years, until LA 2028,” said Perez.

Two Nations Dominate Competition, A Third Rises

World Boxing chairman Gennadiy Golovkin and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. Photo: World Boxing yoselina perez

As competition concluded Sunday, Kazakhstan topped the medal table with seven golds and a total of 10 medals, while Uzbekistan topped the overall medal count with 11 medals. World Boxing chairman and former world champion Gennadiy Golovkin was on hand throughout the tournament and was no doubt pleased by his home nation’s performance.

Also on hand for much of the tournament was undisputed world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Oleksandr Usyk. Golovkin and Usyk no doubt provided tremendous inspiration to the competitors all looking toward their own Olympic Games ambitions in Los Angeles in 2028.

The medal tally was divided among 22 additional nations. A strong showing came from India with four medals, including two gold medals, both by women. Jaismaine Lamboria won the featherweight division (57 kg) and Minakshi Hooda won the minimumweight division (48 kg), a historic moment for Indian boxing. Nupur Sheoran secured a silver medal in the super heavyweight division (80+kg) and Olympian Pooja Rani earned a bronze medal in the heavyweight division (80 kg).

American Olympic Medalist Richard Torrez Jr. Re-Elected To World Boxing’s Athletes Committee

Richard Torrez Jr. is an engaging personality with a winner’s drive. Photo: Mikey Williams, Top Rank Boxing

Six athletes have been selected to serve on World Boxing’s Athletes Committee following elections at the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.

The new Athletes Committee is made up of Buse Naz Çakıroğlu (Turkey), Caitlin Parker (Australia), Daniel Pitt (Wales), Richard Torrez Jr. (USA), Yojerlin Cesar (France) and Zareen Nikhat (India).

Parker and Torrez Jr. have previously served on the committee and were re-elected following the electoral process in Liverpool, which allowed every athlete attending the World Boxing Championships to vote. Çakıroğlu, Cesar, and Nikhat have all competed at the World Boxing Championships this week.

“I’m incredibly happy to be back on the Athletes Commission, it is an honor,” said Torrez Jr. “I’m just trying to give the voice for the athletes. I think it’s a crucial part of World Boxing because, at the end of the day, everything is about the athlete.

“I’m thankful for these elections because now we’re able to have a committee with different voices from different areas of the world. That’s incredibly important because what is my problem might not necessarily be the problem of someone in another continent.

“The first few years were about creating rules and regulations for World Boxing, and how we could get boxing back to the Olympics. I think these next couple of years are where the voice really is going to matter and how we can make boxing great,” concluded Torrez Jr.

The Committee, which provides advice, guidance, and opinions to World Boxing, is designed to ensure that boxers have a voice in the development of the organization.

In addition to its role as a forum for discussing the needs of athletes, the group of six will nominate two of its members to serve as Athlete Representatives, who will be invited to attend and contribute directly to World Boxing Executive Board meetings and sessions of Congress.