Naomi Graham will aim to defend her Pan American Games title after being named by USA Boxing in the Santiago 2023 squad ©Getty Images

Naomi Graham will bid to defend her Pan American Games women's middleweight title after being named in the 13-strong United States boxing squad for Santiago 2023.

Graham is the only Olympian to be selected after her appearance at Tokyo 2020, where she was team captain and exited in the first round.

The 34-year-old won gold at the last Pan American Games in Lima in 2019 so is aiming to go back-to-back in Chile's capital. 

She originally lost the final to Jessica Caicedo in Peru's capital but was later awarded gold after the Colombian failed a drugs test.

Also selected for Santiago is Rahim Gonzales, winner of the men's light heavyweight gold at the 2021 International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships in Belgrade.

World silver medallist Omari Jones will box in the men's light middleweight while Jajaira Gonzalez, the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic champion, will glove up in the women's lightweights.

Completing the women's squad are Jennifer Lozano in the flyweight, Yoseline Perez at bantamweight, Alyssa Mendoza at featherweight and Morelle McCane at welterweight.

The men's squad also includes Roscoe Hill in the flyweight, Jahmal Harvey at featherweight, Emilio Garcia at light welterweight, Jamar Talley at heavyweight and Joshua Edwards at super heavyweight.

World silver medallist Omari Jones is also in the American squad for Santiago 2023 ©Getty Images
World silver medallist Omari Jones is also in the American squad for Santiago 2023 ©Getty Images

"We just finished coming back from Great Britain after having a fantastic training camp," said USA Boxing head coach Billy Walsh.

"We're in the process of having another training camp here with four or five nations, so our team will be ready to compete and I think we're in a good position looking at what the opposition will look like."

The Pan American Games will offer a route to next year's Olympic Games in Paris. 

Boxing in Santiago is due to take place between October 21 and 27 at the La Reina Community Sports Center.

USA Boxing is one of the countries which has joined the breakaway organisation World Boxing, following the expulsion of the IBA from the Olympic Movement. 

The country won two golds at Lima 2019, with women's welterweight Oshae Jones joining Graham on top of the podium.

Jones went on to win a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.