Northwest Woman Gets Second Chance At Olympic Boxing
Seattle’s Queen Underwood, 28, exits the ring in Spokane, Wash., after qualifying for the USA team for the first women’s Olympic boxing tournament. Photo by Jessica Robinson
Some of the best sports stories are about second chances — and this week a female boxer from Seattle got her second chance at Olympic gold. The international governing body for boxing awarded Queen Underwood a wild card spot at the first-ever tournament for women’s boxing in the Olympics.
Queen Underwood figured she was out. After beating her American competition in Spokane, the lightweight lost an international qualifying bout in China by a single point.
“I was like a helium balloon and I was slowly deflating," Underwood says. "And, if you would have seen me jumping around, running around yesterday it’s like — I got my air back.”
Underwood talked with reporters on a conference call the day after she got the word from USA Boxing: She’s going to London, through a wild card selection.
Sarah Deming writes about women's boxing and is following the historic competition for NBC. She says the American boxers face some big talent and fast jabs from China, Russia, Ireland, and the home team, England.
"But I think if a few stars can emerge from London 2012, from the women’s ranks, it could reinvigorate boxing,” Deming says.
The London Olympics are set to begin Friday, July 27.
On the Web:
USA Boxing
http://www2.teamusa.org/USA-Boxing.aspx
Queen Underwood
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
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