Melinda Cooper

Melinda "La Maravilla" Cooper (born March 6, 1985, in Las Vegas, Nevada), was the WIBA and IBA Flyweight Champion of the world, and is recognized as one of the elite female professional boxers on the planet.

Cooper started boxing in 1996, after meeting trainer James Pena at the Nevada Partners gym in Las Vegas. Pena eventually became Cooper's legal guardian.

As an amateur boxer, Cooper had a 37–2 record and competed in numerous national amateur championships. Cooper began her professional boxing career at age 17 on March 23, 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. In July 2004, Cooper won a 6-round unanimous decision to Johanna Peña-Álvarez. Cooper has beaten every opponent she has faced as a professional, and on January 14, 2005, in Rancho Mirage, California, she TKO'd Anissa Zamarron in the ninth round to win the vacant IBA and WIBA Flyweight World Titles. Currently, Cooper has a professional record of 20–0 with 11 KOs.

Cooper has also been featured in magazines, including ''Girls' Life'', ''Teen,'' and ''World Boxing''. Provided by Wikipedia