Making weight key to female boxers' Olympic dreams
After slugging away for years in the unglamorous ranks of amateur women's boxing, Marlen Esparza was thrilled when her sport finally became an Olympic one.
But the invitation to London came with a catch: The petite, 106-pound national champion from Houston would have to gain six pounds to compete against bigger, stronger women if she wanted to qualify.
"It was another mountain to climb," said Esparza, who fights Tuesday night to try to win a spot on the three-member U.S. team. "I already thought it was going to be tough to make it to the Olympics, and now I'm going to have to cross this other obstacle."
The International Olympic Committee's 2009 decision to cram female boxers from 10 traditional weight classes into just three divisions — at 112, 132 and 165 pounds — raised safety concerns and altered the entire structure of a sport that's still chasing worldwide acceptance. Many fighters spent the past two years struggling to put on or take off a few pounds to fit the IOC's guidelines, while others didn't even try.
"For some of them, that's what ended their Olympic dream," said Christy Halbert, a veteran coach and the Chair of USA Boxing's Women's Task Force.
Six pounds might not seem like much, even on Esparza's compact frame, but it's a problem in such a finely calibrated sport. From Floyd Mayweather Jr. to the newest club fighter, boxers of all sizes obsess over the strength and mobility contained in every pound lost or gained.
But the invitation to London came with a catch: The petite, 106-pound national champion from Houston would have to gain six pounds to compete against bigger, stronger women if she wanted to qualify.
"It was another mountain to climb," said Esparza, who fights Tuesday night to try to win a spot on the three-member U.S. team. "I already thought it was going to be tough to make it to the Olympics, and now I'm going to have to cross this other obstacle."
The International Olympic Committee's 2009 decision to cram female boxers from 10 traditional weight classes into just three divisions — at 112, 132 and 165 pounds — raised safety concerns and altered the entire structure of a sport that's still chasing worldwide acceptance. Many fighters spent the past two years struggling to put on or take off a few pounds to fit the IOC's guidelines, while others didn't even try.
"For some of them, that's what ended their Olympic dream," said Christy Halbert, a veteran coach and the Chair of USA Boxing's Women's Task Force.
Six pounds might not seem like much, even on Esparza's compact frame, but it's a problem in such a finely calibrated sport. From Floyd Mayweather Jr. to the newest club fighter, boxers of all sizes obsess over the strength and mobility contained in every pound lost or gained.
