Melinda "La Maravilla"
Cooper was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and begun boxing in 1996, after
meeting trainer James Pena at the Nevada Partners gym. "I was wondering
what the place was," said Cooper, "then I was asked if I wanted to box
and I said 'yeah.' "
Cooper went on to compile a depth of ring experience and successful
amateur career and went on to become one of the top professional female
boxers in the world.
When cooper turned pro, she made history by becoming the first female
to be licensed by the state of Nevada to box professionally under the
age of 18. The move became necessary as it was becoming increasingly
difficult to find amateurs who were willing to fight her.
Pena said he tried to enter Cooper in tournaments at the last minute to
keep her a secret, because "girls would find out that Melinda was in the
weight class and everyone would drop out."
Cooper made her pro debut at
the age of 17 on March 23, 2002 at the Aladdin
Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, winning a
four-round unanimous decision over Annalisa Middleton of Oxnard,
California. Cooper fought until 2014, earning the WIBA and IBA Flyweight
title during her tenure as a pro boxer.
Cooper's mentor and coach said, "She's
shy, she never brags, and she's a joy to be around. She does everything
my male boxers do, and more. She walks into train every day, right on
time. She's dynamite. She's not a problem child and she does well in
school. I wish everyone I worked with was like her. She's a typical,
well-balanced teenage girl who happens to beat people up for a living."
In 2020, Melinda Cooper was inducted into the International Women's
Boxing Hall of Fame.
