Alyssa Mendoza | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 2003 Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Other names | Wrecking Machine |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Featherweight |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record [1] | |
| Total fights | 51 |
| Wins | 39 |
| Wins by KO | 11 |
| Losses | 12 |
Alyssa Mendoza (born August 17, 2003) is an American boxer. She qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Mendoza was born on August 17, 2003. [2] She grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, and attended Middleton High School. [3] Her father, JR, runs a gym and is a boxing trainer, and in 2015, at age 12, she first began training in the sport with him. [4] [5] Within a month, she fought her first bout and won, and by the age of 16, she had compiled a record of 28–12. [5]
In December 2019, Mendoza competed at the U.S. youth national championship and won the title in her weight class, earning her a spot on the youth national team. [5] She became the first female from Idaho to accomplish the feat. [5] She qualified for the 2020 World Youth Championships in Poland, but did not compete as the games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]
Mendoza placed third at the USA Boxing Elite National Championships in 2021 and then won the tournament in 2022. [6] She also competed at a Golden Gloves tournament in 2022 and won the event on her birthday, while being named the competition's best female boxer. [7] In 2023, she won medals at three international events and participated at the Pan American Games. [8] [9] She was also named to the Elite High Performance Team by USA Boxing. [7]
Mendoza participated at the first 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament and was narrowly defeated in the match that would have qualified her for the 2024 Summer Olympics. [7] She then competed at the second Olympic Qualification Tournament and won the finals by unanimous decision, making her the eighth and last person to qualify on the U.S. boxing team. [10] By qualifying, she became the first Olympic boxer in her state's history. [10]
She won in her Olympic debut by split decision (3–2) against Mijgona Samadova of Tajikistan in the round of 16. [11]