United States Sends Four Boxers to Sunday’s Gold Medal Round at 2026 Gee Bee Boxing Tournament

USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Squad earned four more wins on day three of the 2026 Gee Bee Boxing Tournament in Helsinki, Finland. The United States will enter the final day of tournament competition with four boxers set to compete for gold medals on Sunday.

Jayshannet Zapata (54 kilograms) continued her dominant run and nabbed her second unanimous decision of the week after dominating her semifinal bout. Zapata secured a 5-0 win over Wales’ Helen Jones on Saturday after earning flawless scores in each of the first and second rounds and closing the bout with a 4-1 score. With the win, Zapata advances to the finals, where she will face Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova in Bout 3 at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET.

Moises Rodriguez (55 kilograms) made his tournament debut and did so with a beautiful performance for his first international victory. Rodriguez claimed a unanimous decision victory over Sweden’s Joshua Muyinda after a 4-1 score in the opening round and a pair of 5-0 scores in each of the final two frames. The El Paso, Texas, native advances to the finals and will face Italy’s Badr Eddine Bouraouia in Bout 4 at approximately 6:45 a.m. ET.

Also making his tournament debut for the United States was Nnajai Wright (90+ kilograms). The Virginia native earned his first Elite international win with a dominant 5-0 win over Denmark’s David Bakhsh in the super heavyweight clash. Wright is on the hunt for his second international gold medal with Team USA, and his first in the Elite division, after claiming gold in the Youth division at the 2025 Brandenburg Cup in Germany. Wright will contend for a spot at the top of the podium and will face Germany’s Dilvan Yeazgan in Bout 16 at approximately 9:45 a.m. ET

Deborah Grant (57 kilograms) earned her second tournament victory via unanimous decision on Saturday with a flawless victory over Finland’s Anna Tyni in the second session. and her second unanimous victory of the event after winning 5-0 over Finland’s Anna Tyni. Grant captured each judge’s card in the first and third rounds to claim the win and advance to the gold medal bout. She will now face off against Denmark’s Alice Bennedbaek in Bout 5 at approximately 7 a.m. ET.

USA Boxing also saw Yahir Diaz-Martinez (60 kilograms), Alexis Proctor (65 kilograms), Dustin Jimenez (65 kilograms) and Kentrell Rouser (70 kilograms) in action during Saturday’s semifinals competition. While each of those four United States boxers fell short in their bouts, they each will depart the tournament with a bronze medal in hand.

Throughout the competition at the 2026 Gee Bee Boxing Tournament, the United States is led by USA Boxing’s National Development Coach Edward Fonteneaux (Fayetteville, N.C.), and assisted by Holly Gregson (Idaho Falls, Idaho), Billy Rafalko (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Ronald Wright (Columbus, Ga.).

Saturday, April 11 Results:

Session 1

Women’s 54 kg: Jayshannet Zapata vs. Helen Jones, WAL | W 5-0

Men’s 55 kg: Moises Rodriguez vs. Joshua Muyinda, SWE | W 5-0

Men’s 65 kg: Dustin Jimenez vs. Mohamed Ouna, FRA | L 4-1

Men’s 90+ kg: Nnajai Wright vs. David Bakhsh, DEN | W 5-0

Session 2

Women’s 57 kg: Deborah Grant vs. Anna Tyni, FIN | W 5-0

Men’s 60 kg: Yahir Diaz-Martinez vs. Mahmoud al Chabtun, NED | L 4-1

Women’s 65 kg: Alexis Proctor vs. Madeleine Angelsen, NOR | L 4-1

Men’s 70 kg: Kentrell Rouser vs. Finn Bos, NED | L 3-2
Sunday, April 12 Schedule:

Women’s 54 kg: Jayshannet Zapata vs. Zhaina Shekerbrkova, KAZ

Men’s 55 kg: Moises Rodriguez vs Badr Eddine Bouraouia, ITA

Women’s 57 kg: Deborah Grant vs. Alice Bennedbaek, DEN

Men’s 90+ kg: Nnajai Wright vs. Dilvan Yeazgan, GER