Robby Gonzales, 27, looks to make his Olympic dreams come true by finishing in the top four in Busto Arsizio. He has been one of Team USA’s top boxers, winning multiple gold medals in international competitions, including the 2021 Elite World Championships and 2022 Continental Championships, and two gold medals and one bronze medal in 2023.
Omari Jones, a 21-year-old native from Orlando, Fla., won consecutive golds at the 2023 GeeBee International Tournament and the Czech Republic Grand Prix in the 71 kg division. He is also the 2021 Elite World Championship silver medalist; Hill, 28, is a gold medalist at the 2022 AMBC Elite Championships, silver medalist at the 2021 Elite World Championships, and bronze medalist at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games.
Emilio Garcia and Jamar Talley round out the male boxers competing in Italy. Garcia won two international medals in 2023: gold at the GeeBee International Tournament and bronze at the Strandja International Tournament. As for Talley, he is known for his strength and power in the ring, and picked up gold at both the 2023 GeeBee International Tournament and the 2022 AMBC Elite Championships. He also placed third at the 2023 Strandja International Tournament and finished in the top five in the world at the 2021 Elite World Championships.
Naomi Graham leads the way for the women as the sole returning Olympian on the roster. Graham, who has represented Team USA on the world stage numerous times, is the 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist and won bronze at the 2018 Elite Women’s World Championships.
The two remaining women on the roster include Alyssa Mendoza, the youngest of the eight boxers competing in Italy, who has become one of the team’s rising stars. The 20-year-old has had international success and made her presence known by earning medals in three of her four international tournaments this past year. Shera Mae Patricio, the newest member of Team USA, recently won the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. The 54 kg boxer also has international experience, taking bronze at the 2022 USA Boxing International Invitational and winning gold at the 2019 Women’s Silesian Championships as a youth.
Five boxers qualified for the Olympics in October at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Those five boxers will not compete in Busto Arsizio. The five boxers include Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas), Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Md.), Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.), Morelle McCane (Cleveland, Ohio) and Joshua Edwards (Houston, Texas).
What’s on the Line?
Busto Arsizio, Italy, is home to the first World Qualification Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Team USA will send eight boxers to compete in hopes of punching their ticket to compete this summer. Seven of the eight Team USA boxers must finish in the top four to qualify, while Mendoza must finish in the top two. Boxers who do not qualify in Italy will have one final opportunity in Bangkok, Thailand, in May.
Who’s competing?
Male Boxers: Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas), Emilio Garcia (Laredo, Texas), Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.) Robby Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Jamar Talley (Camden, N.J.)
Female Boxers: Shera Mae Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii), Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho) and Naomi Graham (Fayetteville, N.C.)
