COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Team USA made an impressive start at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, as two members of the USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team secured dominant victories in their international debuts on day one of competition.
Guadalupe Ruiz (Women’s 54 kg | Anaheim, Calif.) and Refugio Veloz (Men’s 50 kg | Atwater, Calif.) both stepped into the ring for the first time on the international stage and delivered standout performances to set the tone for Team USA early in the tournament.
Ruiz Dominates in Opening Bout
Ruiz kicked off the tournament for Team USA in commanding fashion. The Anaheim native earned two 10-8 scores in the opening round, winning all five judges’ scorecards before forcing the referee to stop the contest in the second round.
Ruiz scored two eight-counts against Azizakhon Pazilova of Kyrgyzstan, prompting the referee to call a Referee Stops Contest (RSC) victory.
With the win, Ruiz advances to the Round of 16, where she will face Evelin Trejos of Colombia on March 10.
“I feel good, just a little rough, but the first fight got it out of the way, and the next one I’ll be better,” Ruiz said following her first international win. “When I got in the ring, I was like, I got this, and I am ready to go.”
Veloz Impresses in International Debut
Shortly after Ruiz’s victory, Refugio Veloz followed with an equally dominant performance in the men’s 50 kg division.
Veloz defeated Qi You Xiao of Taiwan by unanimous decision (5-0) in the Round of 64. After narrowly taking the first round 4-1, the California fighter took complete control in the final two rounds.
He earned five 10-8 scores in the second round and four 10-8 scores in the third, finishing with final scorecards of 30-25 (three judges) and 30-26 (two judges).
The victory advances Veloz to the Round of 32, where he will face Lefa Senzo Dithebe of Botswana on March 10.
Three More Team USA Debuts Set for Day Two
Team USA will have three additional fighters making both their tournament and international debuts on day two of the competition.
Christian Paez (Men’s 55 kg | San Antonio, Texas) will face Motaz Almashale of Jordan.
David Arrieta (Men’s 60 kg | Kansas City, Mo.) will take on Siwa Chainarong of Thailand, while Brijhana Epperson (Women’s 57 kg | Kansas City, Mo.) will square off against Yu Jun Lin of Taiwan.
Coaching Staff Leading Team USA
The USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team is led by Edward Fonteneaux, the program’s National Development Coach based in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Fonteneaux is assisted throughout the tournament by several High Performance Pool coaches, including Holly Gregson, Jason Hamilton, Yessenia Montalvo, and Ronald Wright.
Additional information on the tournament, including daily bout sheets, results, and updates, will be made available on the official USA Boxing website.
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.
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