US Women
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Finally! Women Boxing in the Olympics.
By David A. Avila
Olympic fervor hits this weekend but there’s an extra spark to the London Games this year especially in boxing. For the first time in its history female boxing will be included.
Yes, women do box.
Three women will compete for the USA Boxing team including Marlen Esparza, Claressa Shields and Queen Underwood. The Olympics begin Friday July 27 and can be seen on NBC and its affiliates. Boxing will be televised on CNBC daily.
Leading the U.S. women’s boxing team is Esparza a perky girl from Houston, Texas whose love for the contact sport evolved from watching Julio Cesar Chavez fights on the couch alongside her father.
“I’m Mexican and it was Julio Cesar Chavez’s era fighting all the time and beating everybody,” said 22-year-old Esparza, the flyweight representative. “It’s been a big part of my life since I could remember.”
Esparza was the first female in history to be selected to represent the United States female boxing team in the Olympics. It’s an honor that has floored her. But that’s just phase one of her dream the next goal is winning a gold medal. She realizes that a big hurdle remains in front. Amateur boxing is not the same as professional boxing and she’s had to adapt as many other Americans will need to do in the Olympics.
“In the states we fight more professionally with more power punching than slapping versus the international style which is in and out, lateral movement, and a lot of bouncing,” said Esparza. “Everything is about being quick.”
It’s a major reason why the Team USA men have performed poorly in recent Olympic Games. Most of the amateur programs in this country are geared toward boxing a professional style bent toward delivering power. Outside of the U.S. other countries have boxing teams with members that have been taught to perfect the slapping amateur style for many decades. It’s more about touching your opponent to score points than to hit your opponent and hurt them.
“In the US you stay flat and hit with power. Outside the U.S. you try to bounce and be quick,” explained Esparza about the difference in amateur Olympic style boxing to professional fighting. ““I’ve been fighting internationally since I was 16. I made the US team when I was 16. I’m extremely familiar with the majority of the girls especially the very good one’s.”
Another member of the women’s boxing team representing Team USA is Shields who at 17 is the youngest on the team.
“When I get in there and smash those girls they’re going to be surprised,” says Michigan’s Shields.
The teen smashed her way to the Olympic team and is confident she can repeat her performance in the Olympic Games.
“Is there a better word than confident? Cause that’s what I am,” proclaimed Shields who was raised in Flint. Michigan.
The third and final female representative is Underwood, a five-time National Champion as a junior welterweight and this year as a lightweight at 132 pounds. The Seattle amateur boxing standout was the last but not the least to be given a spot on the history making women’s USA Boxing team.
“Marlen was the first person to call me after I got the news so I got to share the joy with my teammate,” said Underwood, 27, about receiving the final Olympic berth. “I made so many changes and sacrifices to get here and chase my dream. I definitely gambled it all to get here.”
Men’s Team USA Boxing
The men’s boxing team is comprised of South El Monte, California’s Joseph Diaz, 20, who is fighting at featherweight 123-pound limit; Rau’Shee Warren 114-pound flyweight. The others are Jose Ramirez 132-pound lightweight; Jamel Herring 141-pound junior welterweight; Errol Spence Jr. 152-pound junior middleweight; Terrell Gausha 165-pound super middleweight; Michael Hunter 201-pound heavyweight; and Dominic Breazeale super heavyweight.
Olympic Boxing Coverage
CNBC -- NBCUniversal’s fully distributed cable business channel -- will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of coverage over 16 days from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals. Same-day coverage will air from 2-5 p.m. PT during the week, with six hours of live coverage airing each day on the weekends.
Fights on television
Fri. ESPN2, 6 p.m., Henry Lundy (22-1-1) vs. Raymundo Beltran (25-6).
Sat. Showtime, 7 p.m., Robert Guerrero (29-1-1) vs. Selcuk Aydin (23-0).
Sat. Telefutura, 10 p.m., Ronny Rios (18-0) vs. David Rodela (16-6-3).
