Bay Ridge athletes have given their neighbors pride.
Sebastian Mazenes, 21, won a silver medal in his weight class at the recent USA Boxing National Junior Olympics and Summer Festival.
Photo: Ryan Songaria
The tournament, held at the Century II Convention Center in Kansas, attracted top boxers from across the United States.
The Fort Hamilton High School graduate competed in the elite boys' division at 147 pounds and defeated three opponents over four days to reach the finals.
Photo credit: Instagram/coachtmz
On June 24, he defeated Djibril Marshall of Florida by decision. The next day, he defeated Cassius Jackson of Colorado by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals. On June 27, he defeated Maximilian Erfani of Georgia by unanimous decision to advance to the bracket finals, where he lost by decision to Roy Fields of Texas.
Photo courtesy of USA Boxing.
For Mazenes, who said he was an underdog in the competition, bringing the silver medal back to Brooklyn was an emotional experience.
“I was probably the most inexperienced fighter in my weight class in one of the most competitive weight classes in the sport of boxing,” he said, “but I didn't flinch. I believed in myself and took it fight by fight. I knew I had the ability to compete on this stage and I proved it this week.”
Mazenes was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, and moved to Bay Ridge when he was 7. He played football at Fort Hamilton and was named to the All-City and New York All-Star Football Teams in 2020 and 2021 as a cornerback and safety.
He is currently studying finance at the College of Staten Island.
Mazenes throws punches at Saidou Jallow in his last bout. Photo by Jimmy Muniz Jr./@gmovisuals
Photo: Jimmy Muniz Jr./@gmovisuals
