Joseph Awinongya is an amateur middleweight and light heavyweight who is currently aiming to make the 2028 Olympics for Team USA Boxing. The most remarkable thing about him might not be his national titles or adapting to multiple weight classes, but that the 17-year-old has nearly graduated college. 

Awinongya won both the 2024 Youth National Championship and 2024 World Under-19 Championships to end his 2024.

Awinongya, of Joliet, Illinois, began boxing in 2011. His father, Joseph Awinongya Snr, is a former prizefighter who was once signed to Don King and has helped guide him to this point. At 13 years old, the younger Awinongya graduated high school and began taking classes at Joliet Junior College. 

Now he is in his final semester at the University of St. Francis, where he will earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing. College was always a priority in his family, as his mother, Valerie Ayertey, placed an emphasis on education. 

“It stemmed from my mother,” Awinongya said. “She is the one that applied pressure when it came to school, and even now, she’s applying more pressure now that I’m planning on going to the Olympics, knowing that there's going to be some gaps and I’m going to be finished with college coming up this next semester. She’s even trying to put me into law school and just keep on aiming for greater feats.

“When I was younger, she already had the plan figured out, because she knows the second in boxing you get one injury, you're done for good.”

Awinongya credits boxing with his ability to navigate so much so early in his life. Boxing is often referenced as the loneliest sport, but Awinongya admits that comes with the territory. 

“Loneliness, that comes with the sport, and I’ve never had, like, a team, where we go to tournaments together, where I train with a team, a specific team, all the time,” Awinongya said. “So I would say it’s something that's been instilled in me where I don’t feel a sense of loneliness when it comes to just living life.”

Awinongya also classes himself as an introvert, stating he is home most of the day, but his focus has allowed him to rack up more than 20 national titles. He is rated the No. 1 amateur boxer in the 165lbs division.

 “I'm now a world champion [in international competition] under 19 [years old] at 165 pounds, number one in the world with World Boxing,” Awinongya said with pride. “Great things are going to continue happening within the sport and with school as well.”

Awinongya has competed at 165lbs and 176lbs in recent tournaments, but originally started his career at 80lbs and moved up in weight as his body grew. He adapted to a lower-weight style earlier in his life but brought different attributes to his division. 

“The goal is to not only be an Olympian, but a gold medalist,” Awinongya said. “Once you get that Olympic gold, it changes your life.”