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WICHITA, KANSAS - Two young Alexandria area boxers, Lilly Gulbrandson, 14, and Hannah Dokka, 13, shined in Wichita, Kansas, at the USA Boxing Jr. Olympics National Tournament from July 14-16, as both earned top-three finishes in their respective weight divisions.
Both these young boxers train out at the Nordic Warriors Boxing Academy in Alexandria under the tutelage of the academy's owner Corey Thompson.
Dokka, who began boxing in December of 2018, competed in the 90-pound bantam female division and earned the silver medal, while Gulbrandson competed in the 145-pound intermediate division and earned the bronze medal.
Dokka earned a walkover victory (opponent forfeited, was disqualified, or withdrew) on Thursday, July 14, and advanced to the finals, where she met Alizay Fuentes from Houston, Texas.
Coming into the tournament, Dokka was the only boxer who hadn’t had an official bout under her belt as boxers in Dokka’s division must be a USA Boxing registered boxer with training experience, but don’t need to have any prior fights under their belt.
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Dokka hung tough with Fuentes, but Fuentes took home the gold medal, while Dokka took silver. This fall, Dokka will be an 8th-grader at Discovery Middle School.
On day one of the tournament, Gulbrandson, who is set to be a freshman at Parkers Prairie High School in the fall, earned an opening round win over Cibolo, Texas, native Jacelle Hughes.
On the second day of the tournament, Friday, July 15, things didn’t go as planned for Gulbrandson, but she still fought her way into a top-three finish by earning the bronze medal in the 145-pound intermediate division.
Abrian Aviles of Garland, Texas, won the gold medal in the 145-pound intermediate division.
Gulbrandson is a relatively new boxer who has been participating in the sport since December of 2019; grinded it out each morning at tournament thanks to workouts and a nutrition plan.
Thompson set for a bout against Dante Benjamin Jr.
In addition to coaching Dokka and Gulbrandson down in Wichita, Kansas, and in months prior, Thompson has been preparing for his next bout.
Thompson (4-0, 3 KOs) has his next boxing match, a light heavyweight bout, on the undercard for the Top Rank Boxing promotion on Saturday, July 23, at the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley against Dante Benjamin Jr. (2-0, 1 KO).
Tickets to the boxing match can be bought at Lake Country Meats in Alexandria.
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Benjamin, who is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, competes internationally for the United States. Benjamin, who was born in 2002, won seven national titles as an amateur.
The Thompson versus Benjamin bout along with nine others will be live streamed on ESPN+, beginning at 9 p.m. The Nordic Warriors Boxing Academy, located at 124 7th Avenue W in Alexandria, is hosting a watch party for the fight.
