Heaven Garcia

Heaven Garcia is an American flyweight boxer, who was born in 2000, on the 8th of June.. She started her boxing journey at the age of eight. Garcia boasts many career accolades, including two World Championships in 2015 and 2018.
In 2015, she attended the National Junior Olympics, where she won her first competition. She also fought in the 2016 and 2017 Youth National Championships. She came first in the Western qualifier in 2018, earning her a place for USA in the Youth Olympics in the same year. She won her first bronze medal at the age of 18. 
After winning twice at the 2019 Elite Women's World Championship, Garcia looked set to make it to the 2020 Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. However, two losses to American opponents meant that she missed out on her chance to get to the 2020 Olympics, with the American announcing that she will stay amateur. She is now working to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA.
== Early life ==
Heaven Garcia's first name was decided as her father was told that he couldn't have children. When she was born, her father called it a miracle, therefore naming her "Heaven". Heaven Garcia was born in Davis, California but she grew up in El Monte, California. El Monte, a city in Los Angeles, was described by Garcia as "ghetto" and "a tough place to grow up". Garcia boasts a large family on her mother and father's side. As a child, she studied at the Thomas Alva Edison Middle School. She has been part of the Jerry Ortiz Memorial Boxing and Youth Fitness Gym since she was eight years old, accompanied by coach, Carlos Rodriguez. Rodriguez admitted that Heaven Garcia was his first ever fighter that he taught and he has been teaching her throughout her amateur boxing career
== Boxing career ==
Heaven Garcia attended the 2014 National Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in Oxnard, losing to fellow American flyweight, Isamary Aquino. Her first gold medal win at a tournament was in the 2015 National Junior Olympics at Reno, where she beat Amy Salinas from New Mexico. She won the 2015 Youth World Championship in Taipei, Taiwan, beating Indian boxer Soniya by split decision. She won the 2016 Youth National Championships in Dallas, defeating Amy Salinas for a second year in a row. She lost in the 2017 Youth World Boxing Championships in Guwahati, India. She lost in the quarter-finals against Kazakhstan's Zhansaya Abdraimova. She got her revenge in the 2018 Budapest Youth World Championships, beating Abdraimova in the semi-finals. She went on to beat Indian boxer Anamika Urang and gain her second World Championship win of her amateur boxing career. This win meant that Garcia was given the privilege to represent the United States in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. The 2018 Buenos Aires Summer Youth Olympics saw Garcia represent her country, winning bronze after a win against Bulgarian Goryana Stoeva. This was her first bronze medal in her first Olympic appearance. Garcia was also successful in the 2018 Albuquerque Western Qualifier, where she beat American boxer, Czarina McCoy. The 2019 Elite Women's World Championship in Lake Charles, Louisiana saw Garcia win two unanimous decision bouts against American boxer, Jazzelle Bobadilla and Mexican boxer, Mariana Gonzalez but losses to American boxers, Virginia Fuchs and Christina Cruz, meant that Garcia didn't make the 2020 Olympic Team Trials for Boxing. On social media, Heaven Garcia announced that she would be staying amateur and that she will work alongside Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Category:2000 births
Category:People from Davis, California
Category:American boxers