A few weeks ago, 14-year-old Mia Pinney became a global boxing sensation when her shadowboxing clip before a Dallas vs. Giants game went viral. With the aspiration of representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and skills to back it up, fans got behind Pinney in no time.

However, her aspirations took a big hit as she lost the ongoing 2024 USA boxing national championship via a split decision. This heartbreaking loss would have stayed with many athletes for a long time. But not with Pinney as she found a silver lining after meeting Gervonta Davis‘ long-time boxing coach at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond.

A meeting to remember

Pinney took to her Instagram to share a picture with coach Calvin Ford. The picture was from backstage before Pinney’s match. The smile on the 14-year-old’s face was enough to tell everyone how much this meeting meant to her.

Calvin Ford is a highly respected boxing trainer and mentor from Baltimore. His role in guiding and developing Gervonta Davis is immense. Growing up in Baltimore, Ford draws inspiration from the challenges he faced during his childhood. Ford had a stint in prison and since then, it has been a journey of transformation.

Ford’ is like a father figure to many young athletes in Baltimore and has helped countless young athletes find a place away from street gangs. A fun fact about Ford is that his life story inspired the iconic character Dennis “Cutty” Wise in the HBO series The Wire.

Calvin Ford attended the 2024 USA boxing National Championship and met with almost every young boxer making their day. It might not have been a huge deal for him, but for the young stars, meeting the coach of one of the best boxers active today, made their day, including that of Mia Pinney, who let go of her soul-crushing loss and found the silver lining.

Mia Pinney’s dream crushed

Pinney posted a video of her 95lbs junior match against Raquel Arreola on her Instagram. The caption read, “Boxed all 3 rounds the same. @usaboxing judges didn’t give us a round! We had fun today regardless great job to@our opponent @team.raquel.arreola and good luck in the rest of the tournament 🙏.”

Pinney claimed that the judges did not score one round in her favor, as it should have been the case. However, the 14-year-old is not holding a grudge against anyone and had fun competing in the tournament. She lost the match via a split decision of 4:1, with five judges scoring the match 30:27, 29:28, 30:27, 29:28, and 28:29. While four judges were in Arreola’s favor, Divon Joseph favored Pinney more.

While this loss must have been a big hindrance on Pinney’s way to the 2028 Summer Games, she left the tournament with her head held high. Who knows, she might have exchanged some valuable advice from Calvin Ford and if that advice worked for Gervonta Davis, it could do wonders for Pinney as well.

What are your thoughts on Mia Pinney’s national performance? Do you think the meeting with Gervonta Davis’ coach will be fruitful for her? Let us know your thoughts down below.