The USA Boxing Youth High Performance team dominated on the first day of the 2025 Brandenburg Cup in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. The Stars and Stripes cashed in on seven wins throughout the day, setting the tone for the remainder of the week. With three days left in the tournament, the United States has 12 boxers still in contention for gold medals.<\/p>\n
Joseph Awinongya (men\u2019s 80 kg | Joliet, Ill.) captured the first win of the day for Team USA with a decisive 5-0 victory over Norway\u2019s Vincent Solberg Odland. Awinongya employed a vicious mix of pace and power to outlast his opponent and advance to the quarterfinals of his bracket. The Joliet, Ill., native was in typical form and dictated the tempo of the bout with his sturdy jab and his devastating right hand. He will now face Germany\u2019s Ahmed Nada on Thursday in session one, ring A. He will return to the ring in bout 10 at approximately 9:15 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Angel Blancarte (men\u2019s 85 kg | Hutchinson, Kan.) hit the gas early on in the bout and steamrolled his way to a 5-0 decision of his own over Hungary\u2019s Gyula Bozai. Blancarte\u2019s length was evident throughout the bout, forcing his foe to fight from his heels. After securing the win in his tournament debut, Blancarte advances to the semifinals of his weight class and will enjoy a day off before competing again on Friday against Germany\u2019s Henry Seiler.<\/p>\n
Lavant Brownlee (65 kg | Louisville, Ky.) claimed the third win of the day for the United States and also did so with a unanimous decision. The southpaw from Louisville, Ky., was on a mission from the opening bell and used a consistent flurry of two-punch combinations to score points over Italy\u2019s Alessandro Bramerini. Brownlee moves on to the quarterfinals and will take on Lithuania\u2019s Nojus Samatauskas in Thursday\u2019s opening session. That matchup is slated for Ring A, bout five, and will begin at approximately 8 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Jose Vasquez (men\u2019s 70 kg | Dallas, Texas) also stamped a 5-0 win in his tournament opener, closing out a contentious bout over Germany\u2019s Jason-Andre Sovva. Vasquez utilized his aggression and his ability to trade shots to claim the win in front of the home crowd. The Dallas, Texas, product will take on Canada\u2019s Jacob Pagaling in the quarterfinals during Thursday\u2019s second session, beginning at 11 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Anthony Lona (men\u2019s 75 kg | Kyle, Texas) registered a unanimous decision of his own on Wednesday, and did so over Germany\u2019s Sebestien Culcay Keth. Lona delivered his shots with incredible power throughout the bout and advanced to the quarterfinals of his bracket. The Kyle, Texas, native will take on Hungary\u2019s Brendon Berki Thursday in session two, Ring B, bout five, beginning at noon ET.<\/p>\n
Salim Ellis-Bey (men\u2019s 60 kg | Philadelphia, Pa.) utilized his size to consistently invade David Gerstenlauer\u2019s (Italy) defense on the way to yet another 5-0 for Team USA. Ellis-Bey\u2019s speed and aggressive style served him well once again and swayed every judge for the clean victory in his tournament opener. He will now take on Australia\u2019s Jay Jones in Thursday\u2019s second session in Ring A, bout four, starting at approximately 11:45 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Nnajai Wright (men\u2019s 90+ kg | Richmond, Va.) closed out the day for the United States with a lofty 4-1 win over Romania\u2019s Denis Cucu. Wright\u2019s style proved too much for Cucu, who was unable to answer the Richmond, Va., native\u2019s powerful shots. After earning a victory on day one, Wright will now take on Hungary\u2019s Csaba Bodnar in Thursday\u2019s second session. Ring B is where Wright will return to action for bout 10, beginning at approximately 1:15 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Laila Zakirova also competed for Team USA on day one of the Brandenburg Cup, but suffered a setback against England\u2019s Ruby White via a 5-0 decision.<\/p>\n
In addition to the six athletes returning to action on Thursday, the United States will also see five more athletes make their tournament debuts. Lauryn Elmore (women\u2019s 65 kg | Sacramento, Calif.), Joscelyn Olayo-Munoz (women\u2019s 48 kg | Las Cruces, N.M.), Lorenzo Patricio (men\u2019s 50 kg | Waianae, Hawaii), Landon Patricio (men\u2019s 55 kg | Waianae, Hawaii) and Alexis Tangaro (women\u2019s 54 kg | Waianae, Hawaii) will start their weeks on day two of competition.<\/p>\n
Lorenzo Patricio will look to certify why he was crowned a 2024 World Boxing U19 gold medalist, while Elmore, Olayo-Munoz, Landon Patricio and Alexis Tangaro will make their international debuts on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A complete schedule of Thursday\u2019s action for Team USA can be found below. Each bout of the 2025 Brandenburg Cup will be broadcast live by the German Boxing Federation. The broadcast has been placed behind a paywall for 12.99 (EUR), which grants access to watch the entire week, and can be accessed HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n