Age: 28

Ratings: Five time National Champion, fourth in the world in boxing lightweight division

Her support system: Her dog, King (of course!)

There is a new Queen in England. She’s breaking boundaries, and hoping to bring home the first gold in a new female Olympic sport.  It’s the first time ever that women’s boxing–a sport predominately thought of as male-dominated–has been showcased on the international world’s stage at the Olympics.

Twenty-eight year-old Quanita “Queen” Underwood has always been a fighter and this year, along with her three teammates, she’s fighting to represent women in the sport she loves.

Queen’s resilience and strength has been a saving grace since she was a young girl. At the age of 10, she witnessed her sister Hazzanna’s unspeakable abuse at the hands of their father. The abuse eventually turned to Queen.  After her father was imprisoned during her senior year in high school, she felt lonely and lost…until a friend opened her eyes to boxing.

She told me recently during our interview in Seattle: “It was like I had no direction at the time.  I was just getting into…I wouldn’t say trouble.  I never really got into deep trouble, but I was just running around, not really having anything stable in my life.  And I wanted something to focus on, something to draw me in that I could put energy in. I like seeing results. And I saw results daily from boxing.”

She saw results, saw herself forgive and grow, and now she’s ready for the fight of her life in London.

photos Paul Thiriot