Yoseline Perez's breakout year in USA Boxing holds hope that she will bring a gold medal to the amateur program at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Perez has finished no lower than second place in her international competitions this year. She won the 2025 Grand Prix Usti nad Labem, defeating Charley Davison in the finals, and was a silver medalist in her other three events, making it to the finals in each.
Perez, 21, won the 119lbs USA Boxing National Championship, defeating Kayla Gomez, and has been a revelation for USA Boxing. Now, there are whispers that Perez might be one of the names to keep an eye on as we end the first quadrant of this Olympic cycle.
“I am very happy that I was able to get as many fights to start with,” Perez told BoxingScene. “Because the fights are just an experience this year for the ultimate goal, which is L.A. 2028.”
“It makes me happy [knowing] I could be there [2028 Olympics], but now [I’m] thinking I could come out of this tournament with a gold medal,” Perez said. “And to have my family watch it in the United States, that would be exciting and is a big goal of mine.”
It is important to remember that we are still years away from the 2028 Olympics. Perez still has to qualify for the team. But given the past year, Perez is now rated No. 4 in the world. She credits her mental approach to the sport for her growth. She spoke about how she is trying to grow every day and that her faith and lifestyle changes around mental health form the pillars of her motivation to achieve this goal.
“This year I have had 14 fights. I have won 11 and lost three, and I am not discouraged at all,” Perez said. “I am actually always looking forward to the next one. The only way I can do that is by living in the moment.”
Perez, who is from Houston, trains at home with her father, Juan Carlos Perez, and her brother, Erick Perez – both former fighters. Perez praised her brother as a great boxing mind, and she loves to pick his brain for knowledge. The lessons that they taught her were mostly about approach and philosophy when entering the ring.
“I am a very strong advocate for saying boxing is a mental sport,” Perez said. “It gets to a point with elite athletes that all the hard work becomes the norm. The hardest part of this is the mental [side].”
“My dad was super-uplifting. He would always encourage me and tell me how great I was,” Perez said. “It finally got to the point where it was so repetitive that he is trying to brainwash me into believing these things, but I would try to block them out sometimes.”
Now Perez looks back and has a different perspective about her father’s positivity toward her as a young fighter.
“Those things helped me believe in myself and have confidence in myself,” Perez said. “The more you believe in these things, the more you are able to apply them.”
Erick, Yoseline’s brother, was technical in his own approach to the sport, but he was more philosophical when framing his sister’s holistic application of her skills.
“You could be strong, you could be fast,” Erick said. “You could be all these things. But if you are not mentally willing to do those things while you are in the fight, you don’t have anything.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
