By James Stillerman
Lavant “On a Mission” Brownlee has fully recovered from the hand injury that he sustained at the prestigious 77th International Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February, and is ready to win his second gold medal this year at the Pan-American Elite Continental Championships in Puebla, Mexico, in less than two weeks.
Brownlee tore a tendon in his right pinky finger in his opening bout at the Strandja Memorial Tournament when he landed a punch on Luka Nikabadze’s forehead in the first round, causing his knuckle to swell immediately. Despite the injury, which lingered throughout the tournament, he won a gold medal in the 70-kilogram division (super welterweight), marking his first international medal in the Elite Division.
“It was a bit nerve-racking to be competing in my second international tournament [he fought in the Brandenburg Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2025 in the Youth Division] and fighting against some of the best boxers in the world while dealing with my hand injury,” said Brownlee, who has won four National championships. “It felt good to win this well-known tournament, and it showed me that I can compete with these world-class fighters. Winning this tournament was a big confidence booster for me.”
He went 5-0 at the Strandja Memorial Tournament over seven days, with a walkover victory, three unanimous decisions, and a split decision. In his last three bouts of the tournament, Brownlee defeated Mukhamedsabyr Bazarbayuly, who made it to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Kaian Reis by wide unanimous decisions, and Farukh Tohtasunov in the final by split decision. Bazarbayuly, Reis, and Tohtasunov are ranked 16th, 17th, and 22nd in the world, respectively.
“My performance was good. I would give myself a 7 out of 10 because I know I could have fought better,” said the lengthy southpaw, who is the first Louisville, Kentucky, native since Muhammad Ali to represent his hometown on the international boxing stage. “I need to continue to stay sharp, level up, and gain as much experience as I can from each tournament. I also need to continue to win and dominate these tournaments.”
Brownlee’s hand injury caused him to miss the World Boxing Cup Stage 1 in Brazil in April and the World Boxing Cup Stage 2 in China in June. He spent the last five months recovering but is ready to compete at the Pan-American Elite Continental Championships, which begin on October 17 and run through October 25, his last international tournament of the year.
“My hand is good. It has fully healed. I have had no issues with it for the last two months while I was training and working out. I am ready for the Pan-American Championships,” said Brownlee, who will be fighting for the first time in seven months.
Brownlee is ranked first in the United States and third in the world in his division. He was selected for the 2026 USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance Team after a month-long camp at the beginning of the year, from January 11 to February 11, at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“It was great that I made the Elite High Performance Team. I was on the Youth High Performance Team last year, so I have been around this elite level of competition before. I was not surprised when they selected me because I was prepared to make this team,” said Brownlee, who is the youngest fighter on the team at 18 years old.
He trains for most of the year at the Five Star Boxing Academy in his hometown with Aaron Sheckles, who has been his trainer since he started boxing at eight years old. Sheckles is familiar with the amateur scene, having fought in the amateur ranks for 17 years, winning the National Golden Gloves five times, and consistently ranking among the top 10 United States amateur fighters in his division. Armond Jackson, ranked 38th in the world in the amateur ranks as a middleweight, won the 2026 National Golden Gloves and the 2025 USA Boxing National Open. He also trains at the same gym as Brownlee and works out with Sheckles.
Brownlee holds an outstanding amateur record of 52-8, with 6 KOs. He went three and a half years without a loss, with his last loss coming to Zae Farr at the 2023 National Junior Olympic & Summer Festival. During this dominant run, he won 25 consecutive bouts en route to winning the USA Boxing National Championships, where he was also named Elite Male Most Outstanding Boxer, the USA Boxing National Open, and the Brandenburg Cup in 2025. Brownlee also won the USA Boxing Youth National Championships in 2024.
“Last year was the first year in which I was able to showcase my skills on an elite level consistently, and as I fought better competition, I became a better fighter,” said Brownlee, who credits his mother, Lloren, his role model, for playing a major part in his success by taking care of everything else so that he can just focus on boxing.
During his amateur career, Brownlee beat elite fighters Nieem Somerville, Malik Johnson, and Farr (he beat him three times in a row after losing their first bout) en route to winning the 2025 USA Boxing National Championships. He also defeated Yoell Cooper, Jacob Naismith, and Yahir Diaz-Martinez, who is on the USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance Team.
He has gained invaluable experience sparring with his USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance teammates Joseph Awinongya Jr., Robby “Rahim” Gonzales, and Marcus Luther, whom he lost to in the semifinals of the 2022 National Junior Olympics & Summer Festival.
For more information about Brownlee’s boxing career and to follow his upcoming fights, follow him on Instagram and TikTok @oam.vant and visit www.usaboxing.org.
“My nickname ‘On a Mission’ means everyone has a goal, and you need to stick with that goal until you accomplish it,” Brownlee said. “My goal is to win a gold medal for the United States at the Summer Olympics [which will take place in Los Angeles, California, from July 14 to July 30, 2028], and I will not stop until I achieve that goal.”
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