Elite Men's World Championships Team Announced

USA Boxing announced today the nine boxers who will represent Team USA at the upcoming 2021 Elite Men’s World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Team USA will be represented by Obed Bartee-El (Harvest, Ala.), Rahim Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.), Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Md.), Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas), Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.), Vershaun Lee (Rock Island, Ill.), Jonathan Mansour (San Diego, Calif.), Jordan Panthen (Kapolei, Hawaii) and Jamar Talley (Westfield, N.J.).

“Our evaluation and team selection camp has been extremely competitive, with a good range of boxers who have various levels of national and international experience,” said Matt Johnson, USA Boxing High Performance Director. “We are excited about the potential this team has and look forward to seeing good performances from them at this year’s worlds.”

Bartee-El will make his international debut in the light middleweight division (71 kg/156 lbs.). He finished third at the 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Championships and served as a training partner for Team USA leading into the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Gonzales was a member of the 2020 USA Boxing Olympic Qualification Team, however, was not able to have the opportunity to qualify to the Olympic Games due to COVID-19. The 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing champion will compete in his first World Championships in the light heavyweight (80 kg/176 lbs.) division.

Featherweight (57 kg/125 lbs.) Harvey will be making his international elite debut at these Championships, however, has international experience at the youth division. The 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Champion won gold at the 2019 Emil Jechev Memorial Youth Tournament.

Hill finished third at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing and served as an alternate for the Olympic Qualification Team. These World Championships will be the first international tournament for the flyweight (51 kg/112 lbs.).

Jones had an impressive showing in his first elite tournament this year, the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships, winning six bouts to take Elite Male Boxer of the Tournament honors. His international debut will come at welterweight division (67 kg/147 lbs.).

Lee will look to continue his impressive year when he makes his international debut at these Championships in the light welterweight (63.5 kg/139 lbs.) division. After finishing second at the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships in March, Lee finished atop the podium at the 2021 USA Boxing Summer Festival in July and the 2021 National Golden Gloves Championships in August.

Mansour will represent USA Boxing for the first time on the international stage in the lightweight (60 kg/132 lbs.) division, however he is not a stranger to international competition, having won gold at the Monkston International Boxing Cup in 2018 with his boxing club. The Olympic Qualification Team alternate finished fifth at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing, as well as second at the 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Championships in the featherweight division.

Panthen earned the 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Championships middleweight (75 kg/165 lbs.) title earlier this year in Shreveport before winning the 2021 National Golden Gloves Championships in August. He will be making his international debut with Team USA in Serbia in the middleweight division.

Talley finished second at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and looked to be on his way to his first USA Boxing National Championship title earlier this year, however, had to pull out of the competition after two strong bouts. The heavyweight (92 kg/203 lbs.) will now look to continue where he left off and make a strong impression at his first World Championships.

USA Boxing National Head Coach, Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), National Development Coach, Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and National Strength and Conditioning Coach, Jose Polanco (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will lead the team throughout the World Championships alongside assistant coaches Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.) and Pete Rojas Jr. (Grand Prairie, Texas).

The Elite Men’s World Championships, scheduled Oct. 24-Nov. 6, will be the first major international competition since the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and a good steppingstone towards the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Continue to follow USA Boxing online, as well as social media, to stay updated on news, schedule, results and more from Serbia.