One would have thought that Steve Brunache would have been rusty inside the ring at the 85th annual Brigade Boxing Championships. After all, the Naval Academy senior came in with just one competitive bout under his belt during the 2025-26 school year.
That’s because Brunache has been sidelined by a serious wrist issue and was only recently cleared to resume sparring in practice. Last weekend’s Brigade Boxing semifinals marked his first live fight as a senior.
Surprisingly, Brunache looked pretty darn sharp in posting a unanimous decision over classmate Sakile Johnson in the 195-pound final. The Florida native displayed superb ring generalship and showcased his stick-and-move style. He got off punches faster than Johnson and did an outstanding job of avoiding scoring blows.
Brunache captured his third consecutive Brigade Boxing Championship on Friday night inside Alumni Hall. He was very efficient in delivering sharp jabs and combination punches to the head along with short hooks to the body.
“I definitely felt a little rusty, certainly not in top form. I had some good people in my corner and I listened to what they told me and it turned out well,” Brunache said. “I’m not in the shape I’d like to be, so I had to make sure not to empty the gas tank too early.”
Brunache battled through a painful wrist injury to defend both his Brigade Boxing and National Collegiate Boxing Association championships as a junior. He underwent surgery to repair the wrist this past summer and was looking forward to a healthy senior season.
However, the process of removing the pins from his wrist led to a severe infection and Brunache wound up having to undergo three additional surgeries. So standing atop the podium for a third time at the Brigade Boxing Championships was both a relief and a sense of accomplishment.
“It definitely feels good to get this one done, but there are a lot of boxes that still need to be checked. There is still a long way to go,” said Brunache, who now begins his quest for a third consecutive NCBA national championship.
This marked the third straight year that Johnson has lost to Brunache in the Brigade Boxing finals. The foreign exchange student from Jamaica acknowledged thinking that this might be his best shot because of Brunache’s lengthy layoff.
“Steve is a tough opponent and it’s always a challenge to go against him. He has great athleticism, is very fast and moves really well,” Johnson said. “I tried to get into close range where I would have the advantage, but he would pop me then spin out. It’s frustrating.”
Brunache credits that style, which was made famous by legendary heavyweight Muhammad Ali, to having sparred against Ethan Stern as a sophomore. Stern, a former Navy varsity wrestler turned heavyweight boxer, was a powerful puncher.
“I had to stay away from Ethan’s power, so I would move in and take my punches then back away. That style of boxing just sort of stuck,” Brunache said.
Brunache said that he’s got a lot of work to do, both conditioning-wise and technique-wise, if he hopes to claim another NCBA national crown in about a month. Johnson will serve as sparring partner working to push Brunache and make him better.
“Now Steve goes for another national championship and I wish him the best on this next season. I’ll be in the gym every day to help him with that,” Johnson said.
Senior Nick Smith joined his classmate in becoming a three-time champ, dominating sophomore Patrick Panayides from start to finish in the 147-pound final. Smith, a southpaw, showed all the skills learned over the course of four years in working inside and outside to deliver lethal combinations, sharp jabs and vicious body blows.
“It’s incredible,” Smith said when asked about winning his third title. “As a plebe, I looked up to all the older guys and tried to learn as much as I could from them. It feels great to be able to achieve something not a lot of Navy boxers have done.”
Panayides took a standing eight count in the third round and was fortunate to not go down. Smith was a four-time finalist, falling to another three-time champ, Kole Songonuga, as a plebe.
“It was all about going back to the basics of what has always worked for me. I used my range to land the long jab then went inside whenever I saw an opening,” Smith said. “I caught him with some really good body shots.”
Senior Cami Johnson was the other Navy fighter vying for a third straight championship and she did so in impressive fashion. Johnson controlled the ring and had freshman Cate Wright constantly backing up to avoid pressure.
Retreat was not successful as Johnson was relentless and delivered a bunch of damaging blows in drawing standing eight counts in both the first and second round. She staggered Wright at the end of the second round and won by unanimous decision.
“In this moment, I’m just grateful for this program and the opportunities it has provided and the support I have received,” Johnson said. “I’ve learned a lot about life through this sport.”
Truth be told, it was a mismatch as Wright is a novice and Johnson is veteran member of Navy’s club team that competes on the National Collegiate Boxing Association circuit.
“I’m hoping Cate will grow from this experience and not get discouraged,” Johnson said. “When I was a plebe I lost pretty badly [in the semifinals] to our team captain, but I stuck with it and just focused on finding ways to get better every year.”
One of the most competitive bouts of the came early as a pair of experienced boxers squared off in the men’s 139-pound final. Junior Pape Daouda Traore was the 2024 champ and was in the finals for the third straight year. However, sophomore Anthony Hom started boxing when he was 10 years old and had double-digit fights under his belt.
It was a very even match with the two fighters both landing scoring punches. Traore landed a direct shot to the face that caused a bloody nose. Hom was focused on being active and landing punches and did so effectively.
A close battle wasn’t decided until late in the third round with Traore and Lam bringing the crowd to their feet by standing toe-to-toe and exchanging a rapid number of blows to the head.
“I stuck to the gameplan and did what my corner said, which was to throw more punches,” Hom said. “It came down to the last seconds and I thought I hit him with some serious head shots, one of which I thought was going to knock him down.”
Meanwhile, Traore was still stunned that he lost the fight 20 minutes after it was over.
“I was a bit surprised because I thought I was the more technical boxer and landed a lot of scoring punches. I guess the judges didn’t see it that way,” he said. “This just motivates me even more. I’m going to work even harder because I definitely want some get back next year.”
Junior James Garcia-Gallegos defended his 185-pound championship, outslugging senior Marcos Guzman in a real brawl. Guzman had urged Garcia-Gallegos to “slug it out” and that’s exactly what they did for three rounds.
Garcia-Gallegos absorbed a bloody nose by agreeing to such a bout, but over the cours of three rounds he clearly landed more substantial blows.
“That was one of the most tiring fights I’ve ever had — less volume and more power. Trying to hit hard every time takes it out of you,” Garcia-Gallegos said. “We banged it out the whole way and I landed some heavy blows, especially to the body. He hung in there, but I wore him down.”
After capturing the championship at 125 pounds last year, Stephanie Galindo-Hernandez moved down to 119 and repeated — scoring a technical knockout of freshman Kaitlyn Williams.
“It feels good and is definitely rewarding,” Galindo-Hernandez said. “I feel like I have definitely improved mentally as a fighter. I still get nerves, but I’m able to manage them better.”
Following a lackluster first round by both fighters, Galindo-Hernandez began to assert herself in the second — landing numerous jabs to the head and body. One shot in particular seemed to stagger Williams.
Galindo-Hernandez came out much more active to start the third round and delivered a flurry of punches to the face. Williams began to fatigue and drop her hands, enabling Galindo-Hernandez to do even more damage.
After calling for two standing eight counts, the referee stopped the bout with about a minute left in the third and final round. Now Galindo-Hernandez, a junior who beat Kenzie Moore in 2025, has a chance to become a three-time champ.
“I tried to feel it out at the start then gradually work my way in and figure out what was going to work,” Galindo-Hernandez said. “I feel like my training and conditioning paid off in that third round.”
Plebe Emma Danford put herself in position to become the third women’s boxer to join the four-time champion club. Danford took over in the third round with some heavy hitting and scored a standing eight count to pull out a split decision over junior Kate Walls at 132 pounds.
Later in the program, Kieley Bateman joined her classmate as a rookie champ with a workmanlike effort in the 156-pound bout. It was a defensive battle and Bateman had a hard time figuring out sophomore Naima Phillips, who was a returning finalist.
“I’m a big power puncher and I struggled to find the openings I was looking for. Part of it was that she was a southpaw, so I had to try to work angles,” Bateman said.
Bateman is a promising young boxer who already owns a 4-0 record against National Collegiate Boxing Association competition. Ultimately, the judges felt she landed more scoring punches, although the truth is that neither fighter threw a whole lot.
“I think I outworked her all three rounds. I was able to connect with some combos and some jabs,” said Bateman, who smiled when asked about the prospect of becoming a four-time champ in 2029. “It would be amazing to add my name to that exclusive list.”
Shortly thereafter, Davina Crump became the third female plebe to capture a championship, earning a unanimous decision over sophomore Konnery O’Suileabhain of Ireland.
One of the more action-packed bouts came in the men’s 175-pound final as junior Jace Nelson and freshman Jalen Ownby were both aggressive and traded blows throughout. It was a back-and-forth battle with both fighters landing solid punches that excited the fans.
Nelson turned the tide late in the third round when he landed a left hook-straight combination that staggered Owmby and drew a standing eight count. Owmby tried to immediately answer, backing Nelson into a corner and firing off a flurry of punches.
Nelson did a good job of covering up and Owmby was unable to get the responding shot he needed to turn the tide, dropping a split decision.
Midway through the program, a pair of sophomores were recognized as defending champions despite not fighting Friday night. Heavyweight Ahmed Ben Kasdallah on the men’s side and 139-pound Iroda Muhammadiyeva on the women’s side won by walkover because they had no opponent for the finals.
Brigade Boxing Championships results
Women’s bouts
119 pounds — Stephanie Galindo Hernandez, Jr., Palmdale, CA by technical knockout Kaitlyn Williams, Fr., Somerset, KY
125 pounds — Faith Martinez, Jr., South Bend, IN by unanimous decision Kuipi Lam, Fr., Long Island
132 pounds — Emma Danford, Fr., Wilmington, NC by split decision Kate Walls, Jr., Winston-Salem, NC
147 pounds — Cami Johnson, Sr., Vail, CO by unanimous decision Cate Wright, Fr., Westchester, NY
156 pounds — Kieley Bateman, Fr., Dunnellon, FL by unanimous decision Naima Phillips, So., Colorado Springs
175 pounds — Davina Crump, Fr., Hanover, PA by unanimous decision Konnery O’Suileabhain, So., Tarbert, Ireland
Men’s bouts
139 pounds — Anthony Hom, So., Glendora, CA by split decision Pape Daouda Traore, Jr., Mableton, GA
147 pounds — Nick Smith, Sr., Columbia, SC by unanimous decision Patrick Panayides, So., Newburgh, IN
156 pounds — Gonzalo Rojas, Jr., Rota, Spain by unanimous decision Eric Verrier, So., Arlington, VA
165 pounds — Theo Serrano, So., Sanbenito, TX by unanimous decision Jacob Hernandez, Sr., Franklin, TN
175 pounds — Jace Nelson, Jr., Amarillo, TX by split decision Jalen Owmby, Fr., Buda, TX
185 pounds — James Garcia-Gallegos, Jr., San Antonio, TX by unanimous decision Marcos Guzman, Jr., Raleigh, NC
195 pounds — Steve Brunache, Sr., Pace, FL by unanimous decision Sakile Johnson, Sr., St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica