BOISE, Idaho — RESULTS: Idaho native Alyssa Mendoza earns opening round win at Paris Olympics
Caldwell native Alyssa Mendoza is set to step into the ring representing Team USA at the Paris Olympics for the first time on Tuesday, July 30, squaring off against Mijgona Samadova of Tajikistan.
The 20-year-old featherweight star is the youngest of eight American boxers in France and the first Olympic boxer ever from the Gem State, competing in the women's 57 kg (125 pounds) weight class.
Mendoza earned a spot in Paris by winning all four of her bouts by unanimous decision at the second World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, sealed with a finale win over Maud Van Der Toorn from the Netherlands on June 2.
"I'm going to be in Paris representing USA. Like, to me, that is the biggest honor and that was just my dream for years," Mendoza told KTVB. "It happened. It came to life when they raised my hand. When they gave me the ticket, you know, reading that you're going to Paris, it's like, my dream just came true."
Tuesday's first-round matchup between Mendoza and Samadova is scheduled for 9:38 a.m. MT. The winner of the preliminary bout advances to face Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu of Brazil in the round of 16.
HOW TO WATCH
WATCH PARTY
The City of Caldwell is hosting a watch party at Indian Creek Steakhouse to support Mendoza and her family as the path to the podium begins. The public is invited to watch her first bout of the Olympics at 9:38 a.m. MT Tuesday.
If Mendoza captures victory Tuesday, she would return to the Olympics stage against Cerqueira Romeu at 8:18 a.m. MT Friday, Aug. 2. The featherweight quarterfinals is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4.
PATH TO PARIS
Until she was 11 years old, Mendoza mostly floated around the ring, but never in it. But then came the day she was ready to take a swing at boxing. It was a day that her father, JR Mendoza, will never forget.
"That's it, from that day on," JR said. "I started asking for combinations and the way she'd throw the punches, I was like – it blew me away. It literally blew me away."
After graduating from Middleton High School in 2022, she moved to Colorado Springs by herself to further her career at the US Olympic Training Center. With her sights set on Paris, the qualifying process dealt blow after blow, and nearly knocked her out.
Mendoza lost in Chile and the Pan American Games, then came up short at the world qualifier in Italy in March. It left her with one last chance to advance, but it would require a perfect performance in Thailand.
It was there that a change in mindset finally allowed Mendoza the freedom to roll with the punches.
"Pan Am's and Italy, I was super confident in myself. I believed that I was ready, I was in shape, that nobody could beat me," Mendoza said. "I just kind of let go of it. I didn't want to put the pressure on myself. I didn't want to be stressed every day."
She won her first three fights, narrowly beating a big hitter from Mongolia, before picking up lopsided decisions against boxers from Greece and Spain.
"You can read the body language. I could kind of read it in their eyes," Mendoza said. "I already had felt like I had won the battle mentally. So, I just had to go and beat them physically."
The wins set up one last bout that was about to change her life.
"I ended up fighting the girl from Netherlands and she definitely came the fight," Alyssa said. "After the first round, I kind of figured her out and what she does, her mistakes, and was able to adjust to her style," Alyssa said. "Second and third round, I won unanimously, resulting in me winning unanimously. When they raised my hand, it was like, wow … I'm going to be in Paris representing USA."