When the Olympics debuted in 1904, the boxing ring was just for the boys. This year, however, a women’s boxing division was included and first to qualify to represent the United States’ women’s Olympic team was 22 year-old Marlen Esparza. The Mexican American, Houston native won her spot when she defeated Luu Thi Duyen of Vietman on May 15 of this year.
And although Esparza’s 5-foot-3 frame at 106 pounds is fine to box in flyweight domestic matches, she’ll have to add six more pounds to compete in the smallest of the three women’s Olympic boxing divisions.
The road has led Esparza to live a rather untraditional life, putting in various hours in the gym and sacrificing her personal time. According to her father, David Esparza, it was Marlen’s stubbornness, determination and discipline that won her a national boxing title at 16 and her ticket to London after the Thi Duyen match.
But her family is not the only fans that are celebrating Marlen’s accomplishments. Within her Houston and Latino community, where boxing is as important part of the culture as is soccer or Sunday mass, words of encouragement have flooded the young boxer. Houston City Council Member Ed Gonzalez has expressed that the entire Hispanic community of Houston will support her quest to continue writing history.
As she counts down to the London 2012 Summer Olympics, which kick off on July 27, the training and strict regimens for the young Latina will continue. You can read more about her road to the Olympics in the July issue of Vogue magazine where Marlen talks about her life as a female boxer and where she rocks a boxing stance, with a red evening dress and all.
