Alyssa Mendoza, Salim Ellis-Bey and Kelvin Watts Secure Wins on Day Three of 2026 Strandja Boxing Tournament

USA Boxing earned three more wins at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday. Team USA saw six boxers enter the ring throughout the day, and the three winners secured their positions in the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes.

Team USA’s women’s captain, Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), kicked off the day for the Americans and nabbed her first win of 2026. The Paris 2024 Olympian earned a unanimous decision over Mongolia’s Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will face Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek on Thursday, Feb. 26.

As for the men’s team, Salim Ellis-Bey (Philadelphia, Pa.) secured his second victory in Bulgaria by claiming a unanimous decision, his first of the week, over Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan. Ellis-Bey will now square off against Brazil’s Luiz Oliveira, a 2025 World Boxing Championships silver medalist and a Paris 2024 Olympian, on Friday, Feb. 27.

Earning Team USA’s final victory of the day was the super heavyweight Kelvin Watts (Chesapeake, Va.). The two-time international medalist stamped his first win of the year with a decisive 5-0 result over Germany’s Younes Ouchaou. With the win, Watts advances to the quarterfinals to take on Bulgaria’s Yordan Morejon.

Also competing for the United States on Wednesday were Alisha Crockett (Phoenix, Arizona), Marie-Angelis Rosendo (Deland, Fla.) and Robby Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.). While each of their Americans went the distance in their respective bouts, Crockett, Rosendo and Gonzales each fell by a 5-0 decision.

Team USA will see another active day on Thursday, Feb. 26, with six Americans competing, four of whom will contest quarterfinal matchups. With medal rounds implications on the line, Team USA has its first opportunity to guarantee medals in those quarterfinal matchups on Thursday. Winners in the quarterfinal rounds will advance to the medal rounds and continue their pursuit of gold medals.

The USA Boxing Elite High Performance team will face four Kazakhstan boxers on Thursday, beginning with Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas) against Zhaina Shekerbekova. After Perez, Mendoza will return to the ring for the second consecutive day of competition, this time against Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek. Simona Winkler (Seattle, Wash.) and Naomi Graham will make their tournament debuts in the quarterfinals, with Winkler facing Ukraine’s Anastasiia Chernokolenko and Graham taking on Kazakhstan’s Mariya Sidorenko.

As for the United States’ men’s contingent, Marcus Luther (Washington, D.C.) returns to the ring after earning a second-round RSC in his elite international debut against Turkey on Tuesday. Luther will face a 2025 World Boxing Championships bronze medalist from Kazakhstan, Yertugan Zeinulinov. Lavant Brownlee (Louisville, Ky.) will then close the day for Team USA and will do so against Armenia’s Harutyun Hakobkokhyan.

Additional information and schedules for boxers who advance throughout the Strandja 2026 tournament will be updated throughout the week. Each round of the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament will be broadcast live on the tournament event page, linked HERE.

Tournament information, including daily bout sheets, results, tournament updates, and more, can be found on the USA Boxing website, where followers can find the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament event page.

Wednesday, February 25 Results:

Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza vs. Nomin-Erdene Tugsjargal, Mongolia | W 5-0

Women’s 60kg: Alisha Crockett vs. Rimma Volossenko, Kazakhstan | L 5-0

Women’s 65kg: Marie-Angelis Rosendo vs. Laura Yessenkeldi, Kazakhstan | L 5-0

Men’s 60kg: Salim Ellis-Bey vs. Artur Bazeyan, Armenia | W 5-0

Men’s 80kg: Robby Gonzales vs. Wanderley Pereira, Brazil | L 5-0

Men’s 90+kg: Kelvin Watts vs. Younes Ouchaou, Germany | W 5-0

Thursday, February 26 Schedule:

Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez vs. Zhaina Shekerbekova, Kazakhstan | Ring A | Approximately 8:00 a.m. ET

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee vs. Harutyun Hakobkokhyan, Armenia | Ring B | Approximately 9:45 a.m. ET

Men’s 65kg: Marcus Luther vs. Yertugan Zeinulinov, Kazakhstan | Ring A | Approximately 10:15 a.m. ET

Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza vs. Ulzhan Sarsenbek, Kazakhstan | Ring A | Approximately 11:00 a.m. ET

Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler vs. Anastasiia Chernokolenko, Ukraine | Ring A | Approximately 12:30 p.m. ET

Women’s 75kg: Naomi Graham vs. Mariya Sidorenko, Kazakhstan | Ring B | Approximately 1:00 p.m. ET