Melinda Cooper

Melinda Cooper
Melinda Cooper
Born	March 6, 1985 (age 39); Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Other names	La Maravilla
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Super-bantamweight; Flyweight;
Height	159 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	25
Wins	23
Wins by KO	11
Losses	2

Melinda "La Maravilla" Cooper (born 6 March 1985) is an American former professional boxer who held the WIBA and IBA flyweight titles and challenged for the IBF super-bantamweight championship during her 12-year career. She is a member of the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame.

Early life and amateur career

Cooper started boxing in 1996, after meeting trainer James Pena at the Nevada Partners gym in Las Vegas.^[2]

As an amateur, Cooper had a 37–2 record and competed in numerous national championships including winning the 2001 Women's National Golden Gloves in the 125lb junior division.^[2]

Professional career

Cooper began her professional boxing career at the age of 17 on 23 March 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Annalisa Middleton. At the time, she made history by becoming the first female boxer under the age of 18 to be licensed in the state of Nevada.^[2]

On 14 January 2005, in her 14th pro-fight and aged 19, she claimed the WIBA and IBA flyweight titles thanks to a ninth round stoppage win over Anissa Zamarron at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California.^[3]^[4]

Having won her first 21 bouts, 11 by stoppage, Cooper fought Ada Vélez for the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title at the National Stadium in San José, Costa Rica, on 31 March 2011, losing by split decision with two of the ringside judges scoring the contest 96-94 for her opponent while the third had it in her favour by the same tally.^[2]^[5] A rematch on 20 November 2011 saw Vélez retain her title by majority decision. One judge scored the fight a 95–95 draw but was overruled by the other two who scored it 98-92 and 97-93 respectively for Vélez.^[2]^[6]

Cooper had her final fight on 5 November 2014, defeating Zenny Sotomayor via unanimous decision in Tijuana, Mexico.^[7]^[8]

She was inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Media

Cooper appeared in television series Necessary Roughness on the USA Network in 2011 doing fight scenes for actress Alyssa Diaz.^[12] She has also been featured in magazines including Girls' Life, Teen and World Boxing.^[2]

After boxing

Cooper retired from professional boxing in 2014 and became a police officer in Las Vegas in 2017.^[13]

References

^ "Boxing record for". BoxRec.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Melinda Cooper Biography". womenboxing.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Melinda Cooper vs Anissa Zamarron". boxrec.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Melinda Cooper - An Urban Legend In Our Midst". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Big Fight Set In Las Vegas: Melinda Cooper Vs. Ada Velez II…AVILA". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Ada Velez Retains Title With Majority Decision Over Melinda Cooper". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Melinda Cooper Wins in Mexico". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Melinda Cooper vs Zenny Sotomayor". boxrec.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Announces 2021 IWBHF Inductees". wbcboxing.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
^ "The Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Welcomes the Classes of 2020/2021". The Sweet Science. August 12, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
^ "MELINDA COOPER 2020 IWBHF INDUCTEE". iwbhf.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Robert "Ghost" Guerrero Update, Melinda Cooper and More…Avila". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
^ "Amazing Road That Melinda Cooper has Taken in and out of the Ring!". womenboxing.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[1] "Boxing record for". BoxRec.

[melinda-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Melinda Cooper Biography". womenboxing.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[3] "Melinda Cooper vs Anissa Zamarron". boxrec.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[4] "Melinda Cooper - An Urban Legend In Our Midst". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[5] "Big Fight Set In Las Vegas: Melinda Cooper Vs. Ada Velez II…AVILA". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[6] "Ada Velez Retains Title With Majority Decision Over Melinda Cooper". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[7] "Melinda Cooper Wins in Mexico". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[8] "Melinda Cooper vs Zenny Sotomayor". boxrec.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[9] "International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Announces 2021 IWBHF Inductees". wbcboxing.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2025.

[10] "The Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Welcomes the Classes of 2020/2021". The Sweet Science. August 12, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2025.

[11] "MELINDA COOPER 2020 IWBHF INDUCTEE". iwbhf.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[12] "Robert "Ghost" Guerrero Update, Melinda Cooper and More…Avila". The Sweet Science. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[13] "Amazing Road That Melinda Cooper has Taken in and out of the Ring!". womenboxing.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

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