Twenty-year-old American Alyssa Mendoza punched her ticket to the Paris Olympics this year at the 2024 Second World Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. She will be facing off against Mijgona Samadova from Tajikistan on July 30 to start her campaign for USA Boxing in the biggest sporting event in the world. Hailing from Caldwell, Idaho, Mendoza is the youngest of the eight American boxers who are part of the Olympics squad.

The 20-year-old Olympic debutant will be competing in the featherweight division. Such is her drive and commitment to win the gold medal in the Olympics, she is willing to put her professional career on hold until she achieves that goal. Ahead of her first-round match in the Paris Olympics, Mendoza sat down for an interview in which she detailed her rocky journey to her first Olympics.

Alyssa Mendoza: A hobby turned into a quest for domination!

Born in a family where her siblings boxed from a very early age, Alyssa finally caught the bug at the age of twelve. Her father recognized and nurtured her talent. In an interview with USA Boxing that was posted on X, Mendoza said that staying motivated was a challenging journey. “My journey has been pretty bumpy. Many times I didn’t really take it as serious. Thought of more like a hobby,” she confessed.

It was only when she started beating reputable boxers in the amateur circuit that she realized she couldn’t let her talent go to waste. “I started beating people that were somewhat good and I realized what I had. My dad would tell me that I have a lot of potential. And that I could make it really far,” she said.

Furthermore, success in national tournaments reinforced her faith in her abilities as a boxer. It sparked a hunger for domination. “When I started beating people, and winning nationals. I thought, ‘Oh wow, he is right’. I realized I wanted to be able to dominate the country, and that was hard,” Mendoza remarked.

At the national level, the Olympian won the gold medals at the 2022 USA Boxing Elite National Championships, the Youth National Championships, the National PAL, Eastern Regional, and Western Regional Championships. However, the competition only got harder at the international level as she soon realized there was a “whole world out there”.

Nonetheless, after battering down the hatches, and working tirelessly, Mendoza came third in the 2023 Gee Bee International Tournament, second in the Czech Republic Grand Prix, and third place in the Strandja International Tournament. Now, she will be attempting to win her first gold in the biggest international tournament at the Olympics.

But, some of you might think what is the ulterior motive behind wanting to win gold for her country?

Idaho, my love!

Alyssa Mendoza is the first boxing Olympic prospect to come out of Idaho. The 20-year-old fighter wants to make her state proud. She is deeply connected to the community in her hometown and wants to be a “role model” for the girls who come from the same humble beginnings as her.

“It was a big motivation for me, huge. I was like…I used that for motivation when I was fighting. When I got tired, I had that in the back of my head. I’m like, I gotta do this, I gotta do this, you know,” she said confidently.

It must be mentioned that Alyssa’s father/trainer runs their family gym “MK Boxing” where eager students can learn the ‘sweet science’ in exchange for a nominal fee. What’s more, Alyssa has been a member of a non-denominational Christian church in her hometown since the age of ten which binds her strongly with the Christian community there.

Carrying the hopes of her town on her shoulders, Alyssa Mendoza would be giving it her all to win gold at this year’s Olympics. Make sure you tune in for her upcoming fight against Mijgona Samadova and give her all your support.