Stars and Stripes Shine Bright on Day Two of Brandenburg Cup

Team USA continued its dominance on day two of the 2025 Brandenburg Cup in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. The USA Boxing Youth High Performance team captured 10 more victories across two sessions to close out the first half of the tournament. Of Thursday’s 10 victories, four came via unanimous decision, three came by a split decision, two came by RSC or abandonment and one via a walkover. The United States has certified 11 medals for the tournament, but the mission for the remaining athletes is to bring home gold.

Lauryn Elmore (Sacramento, Calif.) set the tone for the Red, White and Blue on day two with a standout victory over Australia’s Charlie Bell. The 65-kilogram star put the pace on early in her international and tournament debut and outpunched her opponent on the way to a decisive 5-0 win. She will now take on The Netherlands’ Aaliyah Hoppema on Friday in session one, bout five, starting at approximately 8 a.m. ET.

Joscelyn Olayo-Munoz (Las Cruces, N.M.) also made her tournament and international debut on Thursday. In the 48 kg division, Olayo-Munoz was lights out against the Czech Republic’s Eliska Ostra and swayed all five judges for her unanimous decision win. Olayo-Munoz’s victory vaults her into the gold medal match of her division, where she will take on Italy’s Amelia Sula on Saturday.

Lorenzo “Sparky” Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii) lived up to his nickname in his first bout of the tournament and provided the fireworks in a 4-1 victory. The flyin’ Hawaiian danced effortlessly around Denmark’s Rida Al-Tamimi and picked his shots with pinpoint accuracy. Lorenzo, a 2024 World Boxing gold medalist, has been declared the winner of his 50 kg semifinal matchup, via walkover, and will compete again in Saturday’s championship match.

Lavant Brownlee (Louisville, Ky.) and Joseph “Jojo” Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.) provided the statement wins for the USA on Thursday, as each stopped their bouts within the opening round. Brownlee hammered Lithuania’s Nojus Samatauskas and earned an RSC within the opening three minutes of action. The lefty from Louisville now shifts his attention to his semifinal matchup against England’s Jacob Naismith in Thursday’s second session, slated to begin at 1 p.m. ET.

Awinongya is no stranger to short matchups and continued that pattern in the opening minutes against Germany’s Ahmed Nada. Joseph walked down his opponent, as he typically does, and forced Nada’s team to throw in the towel to earn a win via abandonment. Awinongya returns to action in the semifinals and will square off against Poland’s Fabian Urbanski in session one, bout 11, beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET.

Alexis Tangaro (Waianae, Hawaii) battled in her tournament debut and outlasted England’s Ruby Cuthbertson on the way to a 3-2 decision in the 54-kg semifinal matchup. Tangaro traded blows with her opponent throughout all three rounds and dug in deep to sway the judges and earn a shot at the gold medal on Saturday against Lithuania’s Jelizaveta Jakimova.

Anthony Lona (Kyle, Texas) captured his second unanimous decision of the week, this time over Hungary’s Brendon Berki. Lona has been incredible in the 75 kg division thus far and proved it once again on Thursday with his ability to stand in the pocket and deliver devastating punches in the center of the ring. The Kyle, Texas, native will carry on in Friday's semifinals against Australia’s Diyanshu Redhu. The first bell is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET.

Jose Vasquez (Dallas, Texas) nabbed his second decisive victory of the week, this time against Canada’s Jacob Pagaling. Vasquez once again showcased his ability to endure and march forward in Thursday’s quarterfinal bout and will now compete in the medal rounds. His semifinal matchup against Georgia’s Akaki Basaria is set for Friday’s second session in bout eight, starting at 1:45 p.m. ET.

Nnajai Wright (Richmond, Va.) closed the day for the United States on Thursday. Despite facing a taller opponent, Hungary’s Csaba Bodnar, he secured a unanimous decision to advance in the tournament in the 90+ kg division. Wright consistently crowded Bodnar and delivered powerful uppercuts that forced the Hungarian to fight on his heels. Wright moves on to the semifinals and will box again on Friday against Germany’s Vincent Omo-Osawe at 3:15 p.m. ET.

While he did not compete on Thursday, Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) still earned a victory via walkover. With the result, Ellis-Bey advances to the semifinals in the men’s 60 kg division, where he will take on Georgia’s Luka Chkhikvadze at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Landon Patricio also represented the United States on day two and put on an incredible performance. However, he was ultimately defeated via a narrow 3-2 decision against Italy.

Angel Blancarte secured his spot in the semifinals on the first day of the tournament and enjoyed a rest day on Thursday. Blancarte returns to action on Friday against Germany’s Henry Seiler in session one, bout 14, starting at 10 a.m. ET.

A complete schedule of Friday’s 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.

Team USA is led by head coach Edward Fonteneaux (Fayetteville, N.C.), and assisted by Jason Hamilton (Spanaway, Wash.), Ronald Wright (Columbus, Ga.) and Yessenia Montalvo (Bloomfield, N.J.). To keep up with Team USA’s remaining 12 competitors, follow along on the USA Boxing tournament page, linked HERE.

Friday, August 1 (All Bout Start Times Listed in ET):

Session 1:

W65 kg | Lauryn Elmore, USA vs. Aaliyah Hoppema, NED | Bout 5, 8 a.m.

M80 kg | Joseph Awinongya, USA vs. Fabian Urbanski, POL | Bout 11, 9:15 a.m.

M85 kg | Angel Blancarte, USA vs. Henry Seiler, GER | Bout 14, 10 a.m.

Session 2:

M60 kg | Salim Ellis-Bey, USA vs. Luka Chkhikvadze, GEO | Bout 3, 12:30 p.m.

M65 kg | Lavant Brownlee, USA vs. Jacob Naismith, ENG | Bout 5, 1 p.m.

M70 kg | Jose Vasquez, USA vs. Akaki Basaria, GEO | Bout 8, 1:45 p.m.

M75 kg | Anthony Lona, USA vs. Diyanshu Redhu, AUS | Bout 10, 2:15 p.m.

M90+ kg | Nnajai Wright, USA vs. Vincent Omo-Osawe, GER | Bout 14, 3:15 p.m.