Team USA roster set for the USA Boxing International Invitational
Reigning World Champions Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) and Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Md.), headline the 22-person roster for the upcoming USA Boxing International Invitational scheduled for Sept. 12-15 at the Pueblo Convention Center in Pueblo, Colo. A complete roster can be seen below.
The first boxing international event held in the United States since 2018 and first elite international competition since the 2007 Elite Men’s World Championships, will see boxers from Azerbaijan, China, Germany, Philippines, and Puerto Rico, take on a mix of Team USA veterans and up and comers looking to make an impression on the international stage as all boxers work their way to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Five of Ellis’ 2022 World Championships teammates will also be taking to the ring, including 2022 AMBC Elite Championships gold medalists Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.) and Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas), as well as 2022 AMBC Elite Championships bronze medalist Amelia Moore (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Morelle McCane (Cleveland, Ohio) and Shera Mae Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii).
Rounding out Team USA’s women’s delegation include 2018 Elite Women’s World Championships team member Jazzelle Bobadilla (Ewa Beach, Hawaii), 2022 AMBC Elite Championships bronze medalist Kayla Gomez (El Paso, Texas), and two boxers making their Team USA international debuts, Daisy Bamberger (Hayward, Calif.) and Stephanie Simon (Miami, Fla.).
2021 Elite Men’s World Championship silver medalists, Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas) and Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.), join Harvey, as well as their 2021 World Championship teammates Vershuan Lee (Rock Island, Ill.) and Jonathan Mansour (San Diego, Calif.) as the veterans of the men’s team.
A trio of boxers from last year’s inaugural Junior Pan American Games, including gold medalist Julius Ballo (San Diego, Calif.) and Quincey Williams (Washington, D.C.), as well as bronze medalist Donte Layne (Elmont, N.Y.), will make their elite international debuts in Pueblo, while Richard Fernandez Jr. (San Antonio, Texas) will be representing Team USA for the first time since his junior division days.
The final members of Team USA are 2022 AMBC Elite Championships bronze medalist Joshua Edwards (Houston, Texas) and his teammate from those championships, Emilio Garcia (Laredo, Texas).
International boxers expected to compete include 2020 Olympian Mahammad Abdullayev of Azerbaijan; two-time European Champion Stefanie Von Berge and 2022 European Champion Nelive Tiafack; two-time Olympic medalist Li Qian, World Champions Wenlu Yang and Lina Wang of China; World Championship bronze medalist Rogen Ladon of Philippines; and Asian Championships two-time medalist Bakhodur Usmonov.
USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), as well as National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.) and National Developmental Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will lead Team USA at the competition, alongside assistant coaches Lee Gladden (Gainesville, Fla.), Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas) and Pete Rojas Jr. (Grand Prairie, Texas).
Competition will begin Monday, Sept. 12, with two sessions running until Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. MST, and finals set for 11:00 a.m. MST on Thursday, Sept. 15. All bouts will be streamed live online or can be watched live at the Pueblo Convention Center for free.
International Invitational Roster
50 kg: Jazzelle Bobadilla, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
50 kg: Jennifer Lozano, Laredo, Texas
51 kg: Richard Fernandez Jr., San Antonio, Texas
51 kg: Roscoe Hill, Spring, Texas
54 kg: Kayla Gomez, El Paso, Texas
54 kg: Shera Mae Patricio, Waianae, Hawaii
57 kg: Julius Ballo, San Diego, Calif.
57 kg: Jahmal Harvey, Oxon Hill, Md.
57 kg: Daisy Bamberger, Hayward, Calif.
57 kg: Amelia Moore, Colorado Springs, Colo.
60 kg: Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass.
60 kg: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif.
63.5 kg: Emilio Garcia, Laredo, Texas
63.5 kg: Vershaun Lee, Rock Island, Ill.
63.5 kg: Jonathan Mansour, San Diego, Calif.
66 kg: Morelle McCane, Cleveland, Ohio
66 kg: Stephanie Simon, Miami, Fla.
71 kg: Omari Jones, Orlando, Fla.
71 kg: Quincey Williams, Washington, D.C.
80 kg: Arjan Iseni, Staten Island, N.Y.
80 kg: Donte Layne, Elmont, N.Y.
92+ kg: Joshua Edwards, Houston, Texas
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