What to Know
- Fourteen athletes will participate for Team USA Boxing in the first PanAmerican Championships in Puebla, Mexico from October 18 – 26.
- The competition roster will contend for gold medals in a leadup competition to next summer’s 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. It is one of the major amateur competitions ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
- Team members will spend ten days training together in a multi-nation camp in Mexico City.
The USA Boxing High Performance department has announced its competition roster for the 2026 PanAmerican Championships, taking place in Puebla, Mexico, from October 18 to 24. Fourteen athletes, seven men and seven women, will travel to the PanAmerican Championships to contend for gold medals across as many weight classes.
The PanAmerican Championships will then take place inside Miguel Hidalgo Gymnasium. Before beginning competition in Puebla, the 14 athletes will participate in a multi-nation camp in Mexico City from October 6-16.
The USA Boxing team recently competed in Canada at the Melee Gala IX tournament, winning five of six bouts.
USA Boxing Team Selection
Following High Performance procedures, the USA Boxing High Performance Department re-evaluated all Olympic weight categories, except Men’s 55kg and Women’s 70kg, whose team members won two medals during the first half of 2026: Lorenzo Patricio of Hawaii (Men’s 55 kg) and Simona Winkler of Seattle, Washington (Women’s 70 kg).
Following that re-evaluation, Noelle Haro (women’s 51 kg), Yoseline Perez (women’s 54 kg), Alyssa Mendoza (women’s 57 kg), Jajaira Gonzalez (women’s 60 kg), Marie Rosendo (women’s 65-kilogram), and Kendra Samargis (women’s 75-kilogram) were selected on the women’s team.
Salim Ellis-Bey (men’s 60-kilogram), Marcus Luther (65-kilogram), Lavant Brownlee (70-kilogram), Rahim Gonzales (80-kilogram), Joseph Awinongya (men’s 90-kilogram), and Gilbert Kabamba (men’s 90+ kilogram) were selected to represent the United States in their respective weight classes in the upcoming PanAmerican Championships.
A full list of Team USA’s scheduled competitors at the PanAmerican Championships is listed below.
Team Training Gets Underway in Mexico City
The USA Boxing Elite High Performance team departed for the multi-nation camp in Mexico City Tuesday morning, preparing for the upcoming championships. Following the 11-day camp in Mexico City, the team will travel to Puebla on Friday, October 16, to attend the competition.
The USA Boxing Elite High Performance Team is led by head coach Billy Walsh of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Walsh is assisted by National High Performance Coach Nikki Burleson of Oklahoma City, USA Boxing National Technical Coach Zaur Antia, and Billy Rafalko of Philadelphia.
2026 PanAmerican Championships | USA Boxing Women’s Roster
Women’s 51 kg: Noelle Haro | Austin, Texas
Women’s 54 kg: Yoseline Perez | Houston, Texas
Women’s 57 kg: Alyssa Mendoz | Caldwell, Idaho
Women’s 60 kg: Jajaira Gonzalez | Glendora, Calif.
Women’s 65 kg: Marie-Angelis Rosendo | Deland, Fla.
Women’s 70 kg: Simona Winkler | Seattle, Wash.
Women’s 75 kg: Kendra Samargis | Twin Falls, Idaho
2026 PanAmerican Championships | USA Boxing Men’s Roster
Men’s 55 kg: Lorenzo Patricio | Waianae, Hawaii
Men’s 60 kg: Salim Ellis-Bey | Philadelphia, Pa.
Men’s 65 kg: Marcus Luther | Washington D.C
Men’s 70 kg: Lavant Brownlee | Louisville, Ky.
Men’s 80 kg: Rahim Gonzales | Las Vegas, Nev.
Men’s 90 kg: Joseph Awinongya | Joliet, Ill.
Men’s 90+ kg:Gilbert Kabamba | Boston, Mass.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
