COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team delivered another dominant performance on Tuesday at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, earning five wins from five fighters on the third day of competition.
Team USA’s perfect showing marked the squad’s second undefeated day of the tournament, improving its overall record to 9-1 through the first three days.
Ruby Lopez Opens the Day with Unanimous Decision
The action began with Ruby Lopez (women’s 51 kg | Napa, California) facing Jiwon Hong of South Korea.
Lopez impressed in her first international appearance, sweeping every judge’s scorecard to earn a unanimous decision victory with five identical 30-27 scores. The win sends Lopez into the Round of 16, where she will meet India’s Chandrika Bhoreshi Pujari.
Ruiz and Veloz Continue Strong Tournament Runs
Next, Guadalupe Ruiz (women’s 54 kg | Anaheim, California) and Refugio Veloz (men’s 50 kg | Atwater, California) both captured their second wins of the tournament.
Ruiz controlled her bout against Colombia’s Evelin Trejos, earning a unanimous decision after dominating the scorecards. She opened the fight with three 10-8 rounds and sealed the victory with multiple 10-8 scores in the third round, finishing with tallies of 30-25 (three judges), 30-26, and 30-27.
The win advances Ruiz to the quarterfinals, where she will face Egypt’s Hajer Wahba.
Veloz delivered one of the most explosive performances of the day. He stopped Botswana’s Lefa Sanzo Dithebe just 23 seconds into the opening round, overwhelming his opponent with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to halt the contest.
With the first-round RSC victory, Veloz advances to the Round of 16, where he will take on Ukraine’s Mykhailo Syorenko.
Nonhphala Secures Unanimous Victory
Later in the day, Ciana Nonhphala (women’s 48 kg | Providence, Rhode Island) earned her first international win by defeating the Philippines’ Shairylle Pores in the Round of 32.
Nonhphala won every judge’s scorecard in the first and third rounds, securing another unanimous decision for Team USA and advancing to the Round of 16, where she will meet Azerbaijan’s Gular Huseynova.
Aguilar Advances via Walkover
Kaylee Aguilar (women’s 60 kg | Houston, Texas) also moved forward in the tournament after Senegal’s Ndèye Fatou Ndao withdrew from their scheduled bout.
Aguilar advances to the Round of 16, where she will face Uzbekistan’s Rushanabonu Isoeva.
Four Americans Scheduled for Action Wednesday
Team USA returns to the ring Wednesday with four athletes scheduled to compete:
- Christian Paez (men’s 55 kg | San Antonio, Texas) vs. Ecuador’s Erick Aucatoma
- Asante Lamar (men’s 70 kg | Cincinnati, Ohio) vs. Bangladesh’s Tripura Jani
- Refugio Veloz vs. Ukraine’s Mykhailo Sydorenko
- Asaan Jenkins (men’s 65 kg | Washington, D.C.) vs. Georgia’s Luka Chikhikvadze
Coaching Staff Leading Team USA
The Youth High Performance Team is led by Edward Fonteneaux, who serves as the National Development Coach.
Supporting him during the tournament are High Performance Pool coaches:
- Holly Gregson
- Jason Hamilton
- Yessenia Montalvo
- Ronald Wright
With a strong start and momentum on their side, Team USA continues its pursuit of medals at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and is also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer. He’s also the main photographer for the 4CornersMafia Car Club.
Discover more from FightBook MMA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.