Virginia "Ginny" Fuchs (born March 9, 1988) is an American professional boxer who as an amateur represented her country in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics as well as winning a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Virginia Fuchs | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 March 1988[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Flyweight, Super-flyweight[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Southpaw[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
editFuchs was born in Houston, Texas. Fuchs became interested in sports at a young age and played soccer, softball, and basketball as a child. She attended Episcopal High School where she ran track and cross-country.[2][3]
Her athletic abilities earned her an invitation for walk-on spot on the track and cross-country team at Louisiana State University. Fuchs graduated from LSU in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.[4]
Amateur boxing career
editFuchs first tried boxing during her sophomore year of college to stay in shape. After a coach took an interest in her, she dedicated her focus to boxing in 2008. She trained for a year before her first fight, which she won.[3]
She began to compete at the state level and won three Louisiana state Golden Gloves, and later won a national Golden Gloves title in 2015. Fuchs was a finalist for the US National Tournament for 2013, 2014 and 2015.[2] [5]
When it was announced that women’s boxing would be added to the 2012 Summer Olympics, Fuchs tried for a spot on the USA Boxing team but future Olympic medalist Marlen Esparza received the only flyweight position. Fuchs finished fourth at the Olympic Test Event.[4][3]
In October 2015, she defeated Esparza in the Olympic Test Event for the USA Boxing flyweight spot for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Fuchs has also defeated Olympic medalist and five-time world champion, Mary Kom of India. Fuchs won gold at the Olympic Trials Test Event.[6][7][8]
Fuchs was 1st in the 2016 USA Boxing Nationals defeating Esparza for the third straight time with a unanimous 5-0 decision. She won bronze at the 2018 AIBA world championship in India.[9]
In 2020, Fuchs tested positive for a banned substance, but was ruled not at fault due to contamination via unprotected sexual intercourse.[10]
Fuchs qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, where she was defeated in the round of 16 by Bulgarian boxer Stoyka Krasteva.[11]
Professional boxing career
editFuchs announced she was joining the professional boxing ranks in December 2021.[12] She made her pro-debut with a fourth-round knockout win over Randee Lynn Morales on 9 April 2022 at The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, on the undercard of her friend Mikaela Mayer's unified super-featherweight title defence against Jennifer Han.[13]
Her second outing as a professional was at The O2 Arena in London, England, on an all-female card topped by the Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall unified middleweight title showdown on 15 October 2022. Fuchs defeated Gemma Ruegg on points over six rounds.[14]
Fuchs next contest was at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 17 June 2023 when she overcame a cut above her left eye from an accidental clash of heads in the third round to beat Indeya Smith by unanimous decision in an eight-round battle.[15]
In February 2024, Fuchs revealed she had agreed to join the second season of boxing's first squad-based format, Team Combat League (TCL), competing for the Houston Hitmen.[16] She made her first TCL appearance at Red Owl Boxing Arena, Houston, Texas, on 18 April 2024 winning both her rounds against Tiana Schroeder by unanimous decision.[17]
Personal life
editFuchs is an advocate for mental health awareness and was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at a young age. She has appeared in the PBS documentary series Mysteries of Mental Illness and the Oprah Winfrey/Apple TV documentary series The Me You Can't See.[9] Fuchs cites Olympian and runner Steve Prefontaine as an inspiration for her athletic career.[18]
Professional boxing record
edit| 3 fights | 3 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Indeya Smith | UD | 8 (8) | 17 June 2023 | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Gemma Ruegg | PTS | 6 (6) | 15 October 2022 | The O2 Arena, London, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Randee Lynn Morales | KO | 4 (6) | 9 April 2022 | The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, USA |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Boxrec profile of Ginny Fuchs". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b "Ginny Fuchs takes another shot at Olympic boxing team". houstonchronicle.com. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Olympic dreams of Ginny Fuchs". 11 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ a b "Learn to fight like a girl from Olympic boxing hopeful Ginny Fuchs - GirlsLife". www.girlslife.com. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "About". ginnyfuchs.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Marlen Esparza Eliminated From Olympic Contention With Loss To Virginia Fuchs". November 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Ginny Fuchs looks to qualify for the Olympic Games". 15 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ "Houston fighter Ginny Fuchs wins gold at tournament in Rio". 7 December 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ^ a b Beacham, Greg (June 21, 2021). "Olympic boxer Fuchs determined to win her fight against OCD". AP News. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Sex excuse clears boxer of doping". 12 June 2020.
- ^ Ponder, Erica (2021-07-29). "Houston native Ginny Fuchs falls to Bulgarian boxer in Olympic matchup". KPRC. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ "US Olympic women's boxing team captain Ginny Fuchs turns pro". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Mikaela Mayer defeats Jennifer Han in IBF/WBO, 130-pound defense". maxboxing.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Ginny Fuchs, April Hunter, Shannon Ryan Get Wins on Shields-Marshall Card". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Ginny Fuchs Outpoints Indeya Rodriguez Over Eight Rounds On Prograis-Zorrilla Undercard". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Ginny Fuchs: "Life happens, it doesn't always go the way you planned, so I'm just trying to figure it out, make the best of it, and hopefully, get to where I want to be."". fightpost.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Team Combat League event Thursday 18, April 2024". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Olympic Boxing 2016 Hopeful Ginny Fuchs Opens Up About Her Inspirations and More in New Interview (EXCLUSIVE)". intouchweekly.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.