The flyweight division, which ranges from a minimum of 107 pounds and a maximum of 112 pounds, is the smallest Olympic weight division in women’s boxing. The weight class is contested in both Pan American Games and Olympic competition as well as world championships and national events.
Great Britain’s Nicola Adams took gold in the 2012 Olympic Games in the flyweight division with the United States’ Marlen Esparza winning bronze in the inaugural Olympics for women’s boxing.
2016 Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing Flyweight Competitors
1. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas (USA Boxing National Championships)*
2. Virginia Fuchs, Kemah, Texas (USA Boxing National Championships)
3. Christina Cruz, New York, N.Y. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
4. Amanda Pavone, Burlington, Mass. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
5. Alex Love, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier I)
6. Jamie Mitchell, Las Vegas, Nev. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
7. Giovanna Camacho, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
8. Melanie Costa, Norton, Mass. (Olympic Trials Qualifier II)
*2012 Olympic bronze medalist
The tournament next the athletes’ names denotes the tournament in which they qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing.
Flyweight Fun Facts
Four of the 2016 Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing flyweight competitors are competing in their second Olympic Trials event in Memphis. The returning participants are Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas), Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas), Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) and Alex Love (Colorado Springs, Colo.
The weight class also boasts three former or current USA Boxing national champions with Marlen Esparza having claiming the flyweight title nine times, Christina Cruz winning at the higher bantamweight division championship and Alex Love previously taking gold at the lower light flyweight class.
Three of the flyweight competitors currently call Colorado Springs, Colo., home with military members Alex Love and Giovanna Camacho training at one of the nation’s largest Army base – Fort Carson and Marlen Esparza living at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. In addition, two of the flyweight athletes hail from the state of Massachusetts (Melanie Costa and Amanda Pavone). The top two flyweights in the tournament (Marlen Esparza and Virginia Fuchs) both have roots in the Houston area.
The oldest flyweight competitor is Christina Cruz at 32-years-old and the youngest boxer in the division is 22-year-old Melanie Costa (Norton, Mass.).
The flyweights’ occupations outside of boxing range from Melanie Costa’s work as an insurance agency receptionist and police matron to Amanda Pavone’s (Burlington, Mass.) culinary skills as a chef and Camacho’s dedication to her country as a medical officer in the U.S. Army
Two of the flyweights hold a place in women’s boxing history with Marlen Esparza winning the first-ever Olympic medal in women’s boxing and Christina Cruz being the first American female to compete in the Pan American Games.
Former light flyweight national champion Alex Love is the USA Boxing’s athlete representative on the USOC Athlete Advisory Council where she gives a voice to all of USA Boxing’s athletes
Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza has enjoyed endorsement deals with major brands such as Cover Girl, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Nike and Deloitte and has been featured in publications such as Vogue magazine.
Olympic Trials for Women’s Boxing Information
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing will be contested October 26-31 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn. The Olympic Trials winners in the three women’s Olympic weight divisions will earn the right to represent the United States in the international qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Twenty-four athletes will box in the Olympic Trials in Memphis., and all of the competitors will arrive in Memphis on Friday, October 23 prior to the official draw on Sunday, October 25. Olympic Trials competition will take place nightly at 6 p.m. at the Memphis Cook Convention Center from October 26-30 and final round action will begin at 7 p.m., on Saturday October 31.
The 2016 event will be only the second edition of the double elimination tournament with the inaugural tournament taking place in Spokane, Wash., in 2012. The United States placed first in the team standings in women’s boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with middleweight Claressa Shields taking gold and flyweight Marlen Esparza winning bronze. The United States remains one of the strongest squads in the world in women’s boxing as the two Olympic medalists both won world titles in 2014 and featherweight Tiara Brown claimed bronze.
The 24 Olympic Trials participants earned their berths in the event in one of three qualifying tournaments beginning with the 2015 USA Boxing National Championships in January. The two finalists from the national championships and top three finishers from qualifying tournaments in June and September all earned spots in the Olympic Trials. For more information on the Olympic qualifying process for both male and female athletes, go to www.usaboxing.org.
