Ivy Enriquez is a world class boxer. Almost every weekend, she travels from city to city, competing in – and usually winning – match after match. Last summer, she won her first national title – the Ringside World Championship.
She’s also 9 years old.
Ivy, an El Paso native, won the 8-to-10-year-old division of the world championship. She says the competition was scary at first, but once she got in the ring, she knew what to do.
“There’s always been a little nervous in me,” Ivy says. “But when they announced my name I was really proud of myself – of what I accomplished.”
Ivy, a fourth grader, spends two hours training every day after school.
“What my dad says is, the training has to be the hard work and once I’m up in the ring it’s supposed to be easy,” she says.
For Ivy, boxing is a family affair. Her father, Sergio Enriquez, and her uncle, Daniel Enriquez, are the coaches for Ivy’s boxing team – Nightmare Boxing. Ivy’s cousins also compete on the team.
“We talk about it a lot,” Ivy says.
In addition to boxing, the Enriquez family also fundraises together. They sell baked goods and chocolates to help pay for travel expenses.
“My tías and tíos are always included and helping us bake and buy stuff,” Ivy says. “It’s really cool.”
She spends a lot of time in the ring, but Ivy says she still feels like a kid. She just loves the sport.
“I love to do boxing,” she says. “It’s been a really good opportunity, trying to do my best at competing at all my competitions.”