Salim Ellis-Bey Advances to Gold Medal Bout at 2026 World Boxing Cup - Stage 1

Salim Ellis-Bey (60 kilograms) continued his dominance at the 2026 World Boxing Cup – Stage 1, claiming his fourth win of the week with a 5-0 decision over Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh. The victory vaulted Ellis-Bey into the gold medal bout on Sunday, April 26, inside the Rafain Palace Hotel in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

Ellis-Bey’s path to the gold medal bout has been impressive, as the Philadelphia native has now earned two 5-0 unanimous decisions this week, including today’s win over Canada’s 2025 World Boxing Championships quarterfinalist. He also secured a 4-1 split decision win over Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu, a Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist.

Ellis-Bey will now look to capture his first elite international gold medal and second international gold overall, having won gold at the youth level at the 2025 Brandenburg Cup. He will have a chance at redemption in the final, facing Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, a 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist and 2024 Paris Olympian.

The two boxers met earlier this year at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, where Oliveira took the first meeting. Ellis-Bey now looks to even the series with a gold medal on the line.

Ellis-Bey and Oliveira will go head-to-head on Sunday in bout 4 of the opening session. There will be just one ring within each session, and Ellis-Bey will enter the ropes at approximately 10:45 a.m. ET and compete out of the blue corner.

Simona Winkler (70 kilograms) also competed on Saturday in the women’s 70-kilogram division against Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti. After falling behind 4-1 in the opening round, Winkler picked up the pace in the second and cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into the final three minutes. Despite the spirited effort, she was unable to complete the comeback and ultimately fell 4-1 to the 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist. The Seattle native closes the week with a bronze medal, marking her second international medal of the year.

Noelle Haro (51 kilograms) earned a bronze medal in her first international tournament. Haro fell 5-0 to France’s Romane Moulai on Saturday afternoon, but the Texas native quickly made her mark on the world stage, returning home with hardware after a strong run that included a 3-2 win over Canada’s McKenzie Wright and a 4-1 victory over the Dominican Republic’s Esther Jimenez.

At the World Boxing Cup - Stage 1, USA Boxing will be led by Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and assisted by National Development Coach Edward Fonteneaux (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Elite High Performance Coach Nikki Burleson (Oklahoma City, Okla.).

Fans can stay updated on the USA Boxing High Performance Team at the World Boxing Cup - Stage 1 on the USA Boxing website. Brackets, broadcast information, daily schedules, and daily results will be updated on the World Boxing Cup - Stage 1 event page.

Saturday, April 25, Results:
Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler, USA vs. Lekeisha Pergoliti, AUS | L 4-1 | Bronze Medal
Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey, USA vs. Keoma Al-Ahmadieh, CAN | W 5-0
Women’s 51kg: Noelle Haro, USA vs. Romane Moulai, FRA | L 5-0 | Bronze Medal

Sunday, April 26, Schedule
Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey vs. Luiz Oliveira, BRA | Session 1, Ring A, Bout 4, at approximately 10:45 a.m. ET.