As many of you may or may not know the 2021 Elite Men’s World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, is about to occur and Team USA officially listed the roster below I have a breakdown.

heavyweight – Jamar Talley (Westfield, N.J.). – Talley finished second at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and is a strong fighter, who honestly I haven’t seen enough of to accurately rate or talk too much about.

light heavyweight – Rahim Gonzales (Las Vegas, Nev.) – One of the most talented fighters, Rahim Gonzales will stay amateur in order to accomplish his Olympic dream as Gonzales won every fight and soundly at the 2019 Olympic Trials, yet, due to qualifying standards, Gonzales could not compete due to a world ranking system for Tokyo 2020. Gonzales is now looking to get experience internationally and be Team USA’s favorite to medal at the Olympics in 2024.

middleweight – Jordan Panthen (Kapolei, Hawaii) – A note to any-and-all promoters, Jordan Panthen will be an exciting pro, and an above average pro at the very least. Panthen is the boxing version of a very good MMA fighter named Michael Chandler, a hard-worker who will get everything he wants out of the sport, and quite possibly a tad bit more. Tough, a gym rat, and extremely well-conditioned – oh, and he can box as well. I want to see how he does in international competition, and more so I want to see the kind of pro he turns into.

light middleweight – Obed Bartee-El (Harvest, Ala.) – Bartee-El, nicknamed “Radar” has been on my radar for quite some time as he is a talented multi-faceted fighter, who is growing into a world-class boxer. Bartee-El feels very much in the mold of a pro-ready fighter, meaning the manner in which he fights is more of professional-style and not volume. Bartee-El finished 3rd at the 2020 USA Boxing National Championship losing to fellow teammate and one of the best fighters currently in amateur boxing, Jordan Panthan. I hope to see Bartee-El take the next step forward in this international competition.

welterweight – Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.) – Jones is one of the top fighters in the country, and his awkwardness and gifts at timing his opponents make him a nightmare for any-and-all across the world. Jones seems like he is going to be a force in USA Boxing leading up to the next Olympic Games in 2024 as he has a lot intangibles that you can’t teach. Jones is going to be a force to contend with heading into Paris 2024, as he is a flat-out winner and has the experience too boot.

super lightweight – Vershaun Lee (Rock Island, Ill.) – The humble assassin, Vershaun Lee, is winning in one of the deepest brackets in USA Boxing, and is looking to be a force in boxing as he came in second in the nationals to Harley Mederos, who is now professional and then won the summer Junior Olympics as well as won the 2021 Golden Gloves. Lee is a well-rounded, tough fighter who gets slept on by many based on his calm demeanor outside of the ring, but Lee has real dog in him inside the ring and is as mean as any fighter in any division.

lightweight – Jonathan Mansour (San Diego, Calif.),Mansour is an interesting prospect as he is tall and hailing from San Diego, California, and has the prospects of an untapped media market behind him and having won gold at the Monkston International Boxing Cup in 2018 going with his boxing club, not Team USA, Mansour is as experienced as anyone on the team. Mansour is someone who is always up there with the best in the nation, and now just needs to separate himself. I see Mansour being a coveted asset for promoters as he has supportive community around him that could bring in revenue as well.

featherweight – Jahmal Harvey (Axon Hill, Md.) – Jahmal Harvey feels like one of these special fighters to me, and it is ironic, he is in the same division as another worthy foe and special fighter in Steve Johnson. Harvey is the dream 5-tool player in baseball, from my eyes, Harvey can do it all, and has a very good coach behind him as well in Darrell Davis. I expect big things from Harvey – but like everything my expectations are my expectations, it is up to the fighter to live up to the them, but Harvey feels special and is someone you should already be aware of starting now.

flyweight – Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas) – When you watch Roscoe Hill fight you can tell Floyd Mayweather was a major influence and I mean that in a good way. The flyweight is slick and intelligent, and a fighter that fans of the lower weights should be excited about, because his greatest trait is when he fights – he stands out, and makes people take notice. It is exciting to see how Hill does in international competition, as he has been a stand-out addition to the recent Team USA training camps.

The tournament is schedule from October 24th to November 6th, and recaps will be available on ITRBoxing.com, will start to set a roadmap for USA’s Olympic team for Paris 2024.