Lavant Brownlee Earns Gold, Lorenzo Patricio Earns Silver at Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament

The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team concluded its contention at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament on Sunday in Sofia, Bulgaria. Lavant Brownlee and Lorenzo Patricio each secured their first elite international medal during the final day of competition. Brownlee closed the tournament with a gold medal in the 70-kilogram division, while Patricio finished his tournament with a silver medal in the 55-kilogram division.

Brownlee concluded a stellar week in Bulgaria for his first elite international tournament, and did so with five wins, three of which came by unanimous decision. Sunday’s gold medal victory came against Kazakhstan’s Farukh Tokhtassunov after the judges determined the bout in Brownlee’s favor by a 4-1 decision. After claiming the opening round 3-2, Brownlee increased his pressure over the final six minutes of competition and claimed each of the last two rounds by 4-1 scores.

Brownlee wasted no time showing that he is among the world’s best in the men’s 70-kilogram division after dominating the Strandja 2026 Boxing Tournament. Only one of his five bouts in Bulgaria was finalized as a split decision, Sunday’s title bout, while three were decided unanimously and one was handed to Brownlee by way of walkover.

Team USA also saw Lorenzo Patricio compete on Sunday against Ukraine’s Maksym Zymenko in the 55-kilogram title bout. Patricio battled it out with Zymenko for three rounds of competitive action, but the American came up just short on a 3-2 split decision. Patricio secured a silver medal in his first elite international tournament, marking his first elite international medal in the process. The United States’ 55-kilogram representative was competitive throughout the gold medal bout and kept the matchup incredibly close heading into the final round. Sunday’s lesson will surely fuel the Waianae, Hawaii, native for his next international competition, the 2026 World Boxing Cup in Brazil in April.

Among 35 bouts contested by the United States, the USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team secured 22 wins throughout the week, resulting in seven medals at the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Of the 14 United States boxers competing throughout the week, 11 earned at least one win within their respective bracket, including four women and seven men.

On top of Brownlee’s gold medal and Patricio’s silver medal, the USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team earned five bronze medals from Yoseline Perez (Houston, Texas), Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), Simona Winkler (Seattle, Wash.), Naomi Graham (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Joseph Awinongya (Joliet, Ill.).

The Stars and Stripes sent 14 boxers, seven men and seven women, to Sofia, Bulgaria, and will now have a quick turnaround as they prepare for the first World Boxing Cup of 2026, scheduled for April 20-26 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

Final tournament information for the 77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament, including results, medalists, and more, can be found on the USA Boxing website, linked HERE.

Sunday, March 1 | Results:

Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio vs. Maksym Zymenko, Ukraine | L 3-2

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee vs. Farukh Tokhtassunov, Kazakhstan | W 4-1

Team USA  77th International Strandja Boxing Tournament Medalists:

Men’s 70kg: Lavant Brownlee | Gold

Men’s 55kg: Lorenzo Patricio | Silver

Women’s 54kg: Yoseline Perez | Bronze

Women’s 57kg: Alyssa Mendoza | Bronze

Women’s 70kg: Simona Winkler | Bronze

Women’s 75kg: Naomi Graham | Bronze

Men’s 90kg: Joseph Awinongya | Bronze