If boxing fans haven’t learned the name Yoseline Perez yet, they should invest now.  

Perez earned a silver medal at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 14, and was the only medalist from the United States. She earned three of her four bouts in the tournament on her way to silver, with her only loss being in the 54-kilogram title match against two-time Olympian Hsiao-Wen Huang from Chinese Taipei. 

It was the end of a breakthrough season for Perez, who earned three silvers and a gold in the United States’ four international tournaments this year, dating back to March. It was just her second year competing internationally. 

However, after much success at the youth level, including a gold at the 2022 Youth World Championships, the 21-year-old struggled to find wins at the elite stage, affecting her confidence and sense of purpose in the sport. 

Therefore, competing and winning among elites this season has helped her regain the confidence that she lost over time, with her faith playing a big role in navigating the last couple of years. 

“Sometimes what you see doesn’t come to fruition when you get to the big stage, so her keeping her nerves and performing under the bright lights is an exciting thing to see,” USA boxing head coach Billy Walsh said. “Yoseline performed brilliantly when she needed it most.”

Since beginning her boxing career at 11-years-old, Perez has dreamed of winning Olympic gold for the United States, and feels closer than ever before. 

Texas roots 

A Houston native, Perez fell in love with boxing after watching three of her four brothers train with their dad, Juan Carlos. 

“I watched them train and would wait in the car waiting for it to be over, and one day I just decided to get out of the car and start training with them,” Perez said. 

At first, her parents didn’t like Perez participating in the notoriously gritty sport, but that just made Perez want to do it more. It wasn’t long before Carlos began to train Perez with her brothers in a home gym he created for the siblings. 

“I’m very stubborn,” Perez said.

Since then, her parents have been ‘100% supportive,’ and Perez still trains with her father and brother when she visits home from Colorado Springs, where she trains most of the year at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.

“They just want me to be happy and want me to do what is best for me,” Perez said. “They are just super proud and love to see me travel and enjoy my life as much as I have.”

Since training with Walsh, Perez’s work ethic and winning mentality from years of training like an elite has made the transition to training like an elite boxer easier than most. 

Therefore, Walsh was not surprised by her success this season because he’s seen her growth the past two years with his own eyes. 

“In transition sometimes when you are a youth boxer, you are a big fish in a small pond but when you become an elite boxer sometimes you become a small fish in a big pond,” Walsh said. 

“We’ve been developing her by bringing her out to these tournaments and giving her these experiences. World championships was a culmination of all that work over the last number of years and she put together an almost prefect scenario.”

Leaning into faith 

At the World Championships in September, Perez almost didn’t make it the final bout, with homesickness and a cold almost sidetracking the entire tournament. 

“It’s never happened to me before,” Perez said. “It was the first tournament and training camp where I felt homesick. I wanted to be home. It got to the point that waiting for fighting got mentally draining, and I felt it in my body. Training wasn’t looking good for me, then I got really sick. I didn’t feel good mentally or physically.”

All Perez could think of was going home, and even considered leaving the competition. She journaled and mediated, techniques she learned from teammate and Olympian Alyssa Mendoza, but mostly leaned into her faith to push through the rest of the tournament. 

“It was his plan at the end of the day, and if he wants me to be where I am today and compete at the tournament and keep fighting, that’s what I’ll do,” Perez said. “I put it in his hands. I did my part, did the training, and I just went into the ring to fight and left the rest up to him.”

Since receiving her first Bible from Mendoza at 18-years-old, faith has changed Perez’s life and given her confidence in her ability to compete among the best in the world.  

“I used to get bad panic attacks before fighting, which is weird because I thought I loved doing it,” Perez said. “But for some reason, it would get so hard before competing because I put so much pressure on myself to perform and win. She introduced me to God, and I was able to love the sport again and be able to do it with so much more peace.”

After failing to qualify for Paris in 2024, Perez once again leaned into her faith to continue fighting for her Olympic dreams. 

“I didn’t see what the purpose was at the time, but I think I needed to go through that to be where I am today and God-willing, get to be that Olympic champion I dreamed of,” Perez said. “Failing and getting to where I am today has gotten me where I am because of my mentality. I owe it all to God. I wouldn’t be able to get mentally right if not for him.” 

Keeping the dream alive 

After months of traveling and competing overseas in Brazil, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, and England, Perez is back in Texas and more than ready to finally rest. 

“I haven’t slept much with all the processing and thinking I’ve been doing. It’s flown by,” Perez said. “Now I’m able to sit back and relax and think about everything that I’ve done this year and be able to see that change and growth and admiring it for a second.” 

Still, she can’t help thinking ahead. 

“The whole year my goals were to medal and get comfortable on the international stage,” Perez said. “In the upcoming year my goal is to stay on top of the podium and be able to dominate, not just win.”

“There is always a goal, every year there is a goal, but the end goal is the Olympic gold medal,” Walsh said. “When she goes in the ring she is there to win. The world is her oyster right now.”

If boxing fans haven’t learned the name Yoseline Perez yet, they should invest now.

Perez earned a silver medal at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 14, and was the only medalist from the United States. She earned three of her four bouts in the tournament on her way to silver, with her only loss being in the 54-kilogram title match against two-time Olympian Hsiao-Wen Huang from Chinese Taipei.

It was the end of a breakthrough season for Perez, who earned three silvers and a gold in the United States’ four international tournaments this year, dating back to March. It was just her second year competing internationally.

However, after much success at the youth level, including a gold at the 2022 Youth World Championships, the 21-year-old struggled to find wins at the elite stage, affecting her confidence and sense of purpose in the sport.

Therefore, competing and winning among elites this season has helped her regain the confidence that she lost over time, with her faith playing a big role in navigating the last couple of years.

“Sometimes what you see doesn’t come to fruition when you get to the big stage, so her keeping her nerves and performing under the bright lights is an exciting thing to see,” USA boxing head coach Billy Walsh said. “Yoseline performed brilliantly when she needed it most.”

Since beginning her boxing career at 11-years-old, Perez has dreamed of winning Olympic gold for the United States, and feels closer than ever before.

Texas roots 

A Houston native, Perez fell in love with boxing after watching three of her four brothers train with their dad, Juan Carlos.

“I watched them train and would wait in the car waiting for it to be over, and one day I just decided to get out of the car and start training with them,” Perez said.

At first, her parents didn’t like Perez participating in the notoriously gritty sport, but that just made Perez want to do it more. It wasn’t long before Carlos began to train Perez with her brothers in a home gym he created for the siblings.

“I’m very stubborn,” Perez said.

Since then, her parents have been ‘100% supportive,’ and Perez still trains with her father and brother when she visits home from Colorado Springs, where she trains most of the year at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.

“They just want me to be happy and want me to do what is best for me,” Perez said. “They are just super proud and love to see me travel and enjoy my life as much as I have.”

Since training with Walsh, Perez’s work ethic and winning mentality from years of training like an elite has made the transition to training like an elite boxer easier than most.

Therefore, Walsh was not surprised by her success this season because he’s seen her growth the past two years with his own eyes.

“In transition sometimes when you are a youth boxer, you are a big fish in a small pond but when you become an elite boxer sometimes you become a small fish in a big pond,” Walsh said.

“We’ve been developing her by bringing her out to these tournaments and giving her these experiences. World championships was a culmination of all that work over the last number of years and she put together an almost prefect scenario.”

Leaning into faith 

At the World Championships in September, Perez almost didn’t make it the final bout, with homesickness and a cold almost sidetracking the entire tournament.

“It’s never happened to me before,” Perez said. “It was the first tournament and training camp where I felt homesick. I wanted to be home. It got to the point that waiting for fighting got mentally draining, and I felt it in my body. Training wasn’t looking good for me, then I got really sick. I didn’t feel good mentally or physically.”

All Perez could think of was going home, and even considered leaving the competition. She journaled and mediated, techniques she learned from teammate and Olympian Alyssa Mendoza, but mostly leaned into her faith to push through the rest of the tournament.

“It was his plan at the end of the day, and if he wants me to be where I am today and compete at the tournament and keep fighting, that’s what I’ll do,” Perez said. “I put it in his hands. I did my part, did the training, and I just went into the ring to fight and left the rest up to him.”

Since receiving her first Bible from Mendoza at 18-years-old, faith has changed Perez’s life and given her confidence in her ability to compete among the best in the world.

“I used to get bad panic attacks before fighting, which is weird because I thought I loved doing it,” Perez said. “But for some reason, it would get so hard before competing because I put so much pressure on myself to perform and win. She introduced me to God, and I was able to love the sport again and be able to do it with so much more peace.”

After failing to qualify for Paris in 2024, Perez once again leaned into her faith to continue fighting for her Olympic dreams.

“I didn’t see what the purpose was at the time, but I think I needed to go through that to be where I am today and God-willing, get to be that Olympic champion I dreamed of,” Perez said. “Failing and getting to where I am today has gotten me where I am because of my mentality. I owe it all to God. I wouldn’t be able to get mentally right if not for him.”

Keeping the dream alive 

After months of traveling and competing overseas in Brazil, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, and England, Perez is back in Texas and more than ready to finally rest.

“I haven’t slept much with all the processing and thinking I’ve been doing. It’s flown by,” Perez said. “Now I’m able to sit back and relax and think about everything that I’ve done this year and be able to see that change and growth and admiring it for a second.”

Still, she can’t help thinking ahead.

“The whole year my goals were to medal and get comfortable on the international stage,” Perez said. “In the upcoming year my goal is to stay on top of the podium and be able to dominate, not just win.”

“There is always a goal, every year there is a goal, but the end goal is the Olympic gold medal,” Walsh said. “When she goes in the ring she is there to win. The world is her oyster right now.”