Yoseline Perez closed the week for Team USA at the World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025 with a silver medal. Perez’s bid for a gold medal came up just short in a 5-0 defeat in the 54-kilogram final against India’s Sakshi Sakshi. The World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025 was hosted at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Perez was unable to find her footing from the beginning of the match against Sakshi and was stifled by her Indian opponent’s length. Despite many attempts at using her speed against Sakshi’s defense, Perez could not muster a consistent attack around her opponent’s tie-ups. After the opening round, Perez was behind 4-1, creating a large deficit for Perez to overcome. While round two continued as a gritty battle for Perez, she pushed ahead, despite Sakshi’s many attempts to slow her down in the clinch position. Heading into round three, Perez was able to trim the judges' scores to 3-0, still in favor of Sakshi, setting up a critical round three. The bantamweight bout concluded in the same fashion as the opening two rounds, and unfortunately, did not fall in Perez’s favor. After the final three minutes of competition, Perez was defeated by a unanimous decision, cementing the silver medal for her.
Perez closes the week with a 3-1 record for her third international medal of the calendar year. Throughout her opening three tournaments, Perez has earned two silver medals, each at a World Boxing Cup event, and one gold medal at the World Boxing Challenge Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem. She will now turn her attention to the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, in September.
Team USA closed the week of competition at the World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025 with three medals: silver for Perez and two bronze, one for Morelle McCane (women’s welterweight) and one for Robby Gonzales (men’s light heavyweight).
Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the charge for Team USA at the World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025. National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), Nicole Burleson (Bethany, Okla.), and Eric Zimmerman (Alexandria, Va.) assisted Coach Walsh throughout the week.