It should have been Rio rather than Paris. But it came crashing down in 2015 when Jajaira Gonzalez lost the drive, zeal, and confidence to box. What followed next was a slump that stretched close to 8 years, during which she quit boxing, joined the army’s boxing program, and even started teaching kickboxing, which she herself didn’t know. Then, in 2023, everything started to fall into place. Before she realized it, the Glendora, California native was on a plane to the Paris Olympics to represent Team USA Boxing. Every story has a good ending, but hers is a bit complicated.

When Gonzalez, 27, steered past 2016 Olympic gold medalist Estelle Mossely in the round of 32, it seemed it was destined. She indeed had returned to the top of her game like Lazarus from the dead, but that didn’t last long. She crashed out of her first Olympics after a close loss to the last Olympics’ silver medalist, Beatriz Ferreira, in round 16. While the Colorado resident is soaked in disappointment, she is also keeping her head up.

After receiving supportive messages from stars like Amanda Serrano and appreciation from American fans, Gonzalez turned to her X handle and wrote an emotional response, feeling overwhelmed by the love. Her post read, “I truly appreciate all the love I’ve been receiving. The support & kind words mean the most to me. Time to continue working harder & continue to prove myself. God’s plan is always bigger.”

The fans will await a redemption arc at the 2028 Olympics, which will take place on American soil. Maybe fans shouting at the top of their lungs and chanting her name will be an additional motivation for Gonzalez. However, there was another narrative that plagued her fights amid her resurgence. The lightweight boxer has gone through mixed feelings about her loss to Ferreira, and doubts have been cast since the new scoring system.

Jajaira Gonzalez: A victim of the new scoring system?

It replaced the old, traditional point system with a 10-9 system, similar to that of professional boxing. Instead of 3, the Olympics use 5 judges. It adds all the scores from them and then decides a winner. In her fight with Ferreira, Gonzalez believed she was being “set up” and had firm faith that she had done enough to bag the win. She had declared, “Felt like I was set up from the beginning, man. But I feel like I did enough to pull the win. But it is what it is. Everything happens for a reason.”

Mikaela Mayer has already expressed her discontent with it. She had declared, “I think I favor the old scoring for Olympic style boxing.” So, the debate about the old vs. new point system is gaining traction now. Would the old point system have aided Gonzalez? No one is sure. But you can be sure that Gonzalez has started picking up the pace, and fans could expect her to propel herself to the top soon.

What do you make of this post by Jajaira Gonzalez? Do you believe she will bounce back strongly after a setback at the 2024 Paris Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.