Alyssa Mendoza (born August 17, 2003) is an American boxer. She qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Biography
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]
