United States Sends Five Boxers to Gold Medal Round at 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup

The USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team sent five boxers through to the gold-medal round on Saturday, March 14, at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. Of the United States boxers who will be contending for gold medals, there are three women and two men. While five of the eight Team USA boxers advanced to championship day, three boxers closed their tournament competition on Saturday with bronze medals.

Guadalupe Ruiz (women’s 54 kg | Anaheim, Calif.) opened the day for the Stars and Stripes, and did so in incredible fashion, as she has all week. Ruiz captured her second unanimous decision of the event on Saturday, her fourth win of the tournament, against England’s Jaya Kalsi. Second and third attacks were connecting throughout the bout for Ruiz, who won the opening round 4-1 before claiming all five cards, including a pair of 10-8 scores, in the second round. Ruiz entered the third round in complete control and delivered a pair of 8-counts to her English opponent to close the bout with a unanimous decision.

Ruiz progresses to Sunday’s championship bout, where she will take on India’s Joyshree Devi Chirom for the 54-kilogram gold medal. She will compete in Sunday’s opening session in bout two, beginning at approximately 12:15 a.m. ET.

Brijhana Epperson (women’s 57 kg | Kansas City, Mo.) was in complete control throughout her semifinal bout against Kazakhstan’s Aknur Tursyngali. Epperson consistently landed her lead hook in the opening round to take a 4-1 lead heading into the second frame. The second round was a continuation of dominance for the United States’ 54-kilogram representative, who routinely landed her straight right hand and dealt two 8-counts within the final minute of the round. She then closed the show in the final round and dished out yet another 8-count, which forced the referee to stop the bout with 1:27 left in the matchup.

After claiming the third-round stoppage in the semifinals, Epperson will now compete for the 57-kilogram gold medal on Sunday against Ukraine’s Yevanhelina Petruk in session two, bout two, beginning at approximately 4:45 a.m. ET.

Christian Paez (men’s 55 kg | San Antonio, Texas) captured the third win of the day for Team USA, defeating Mexico’s Jonathan Bibriesca 4-1. Paez came out strong in the opening round and provided an 8-count in the opening minute after landing several uppercuts. The Team USA representative lost the second round 3-2, but bounced back in the final round with a 5-0 to capture the bout with a split decision.

Paez progresses to the 55-kilogram championship bout, where he will face Japan’s Ryusei Kitamura on Sunday in session one, bout seven, beginning at approximately 1:30 a.m. ET.

Angel Blancarte (men’s 85 kg | Hutchinson, Kan.) stepped into the ring next for the United States and scored a narrow 3-2 victory over Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Kystaubay. In the opening three minutes, Blancarte maintained his distance and frustrated his Kazakh foe by landing the jab while staying active across the canvas. After capturing all five scorecards in the opening round, Blancarte secured three cards in the second round to maintain the lead heading into the final frame. Blancarte persevered and finished the bout with a split-decision victory to earn a position in the gold-medal round.

Blancarte will now square off against Uzbekistan’s Sardorbek Bakhromkhujaev on Sunday in session two, bout nine, beginning at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET.

Lauryn Elmore (women’s 65 kg | Sacramento, Calif.) captured the final win of the day for the United States, and did so in quick fashion over Morocco’s Aya Essoubai. Elmore came out with incredible pace and movement and closed the opening three minutes with all five scorecards. She then dished out an 8-count with 1:21 remaining in the second round, setting the stage for her closeout capabilities. A mere 10 seconds later, Elmore delivered a beautiful combo to put her opponent on the canvas and force the referee to stop the bout with 1:12 remaining in the second round.

Elmore advances to the gold-medal bout in the 65-kilogram division and will take on Uzbekistan’s Sevara Mamatova in Sunday’s second session, bout three, beginning at approximately 5 a.m. ET.

Marley McNealy (women’s 70 kg | San Francisco, Calif.), Ariana Chavez (women’s 75 kg | Rio Rancho, N.M.) and Asaan Jenkins (men’s 65 kg | Washington, D.C.) also competed for the United States on Saturday. Each of their tournaments concluded with bronze medals. A complete list of Sunday’s Team USA schedule is located at the bottom of this story.

The USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team is led by National Development Coach Edward Fonteneaux (Fayetteville, N.C.). Fonteneaux will be assisted throughout the tournament by High Performance Pool coaches, including Holly Gregson (Idaho Falls, Idaho), Jason Hamilton (Spanaway, Wash.), Yessenia Montalvo (Bloomfield, N.J.), and Ronald Wright (Columbus, Ga.).

Additional tournament information for the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup, including daily bout sheets, results, tournament updates, and more, can be found on the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup event page on the USA Boxing website.

Saturday, March 14 | Results:

Women’s 54 kg: Guadalupe Ruiz vs. Jaya Kalsi, ENG | W 5-0

Women’s 57 kg: Brijhana Epperson vs. Aknur Tursyngali, KAZ | W RSC (R3)

Women’s 70 kg: Marley McNealy vs. Kamila Ospanova, KAZ | L 3-2

Women’s 75 kg: Ariana Chavez vs. Samira Turganova, UZB | L 4-1

Men’s 55 kg: Christian Paez vs. Jonathan Bibriesca, MEX | W 4-1

Men’s 85 kg: Angel Blancarte vs. Nursultan Kystaubay, KAZ | W 3-2

Women’s 65 kg: Lauryn Elmore vs. Aya Essoubai, MAR | W RSC (R2)

Men’s 65 kg: Asaan Jenkins vs. Kunimitsu Honjo, JPN | L 5-0

Sunday, March 15 | Schedule:

Women’s 54 kg: Guadalupe Ruiz vs. Joyshree Devi Chirom, IND

• Session 1 | Bout 2 | Blue Corner | Approximately 12:15 a.m. ET

Men’s 55 kg: Christian Paez vs. Ryusei Kitamura, JPN

• Session 1 | Bout 7 | Blue Corner | Approximately 1:30 a.m. ET

Women’s 57 kg: Brijhana Epperson vs. Yevanhelina Petruk, UKR

• Session 2 | Bout 2 | Red Corner | Approximately 4:45 a.m. ET

Women’s 65 kg: Lauryn Elmore vs. Sevara Mamatova, UZB

• Session 2 | Bout 3 | Red Corner | Approximately 5:00 a.m. ET

Men’s 85 kg: Angel Blancarte vs. Sardorbek Bakhromkhujaev, UZB

• Session 2 | Bout 9 | Blue Corner | Approximately 6:30 a.m. ET