[film reel rattling] [piano note]
[crowd cheering] [people chattering]
[Announcer] And this will be for
intermediate female 85 pound championship!
[gloves thudding]
[crowd cheering]
[soft guitar music]
Every girl has a dream.
Every girl wants to achieve something.
[gloves thudding]
But, the Olympics is like only one could be an Olympian.
Only one could win a gold medal.
[crowd cheering]
The Junior Olympics 2018, I lost.
And this year, you know, [gloves thudding]
I’m ready for whatever’s coming my way
because I feel like this year is gonna be different,
and God only knows what’s gonna happen.
[crickets chirping]
[acoustic guitar music]
My dad always says this,
but he’s like, Show them who Meryland is.
Make one fight different than the others,
and to show them who Meryland is.
By like, doing my best in the ring,
putting in a lot of effort and winning.
Let’s go, my darling.
They’ll know who Meryland is.
[engine rumbling]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[car beeping].
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[fists thudding]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
Good to go? Ready to box?
I was born ready.
Oh, you’re born ready?
All right, well, good luck to you.
Good luck. Good luck.
[Announcer] Number two championship match,
on the brown corner, Meryland.
[bell dinging]
[suspenseful music]
[gloves thudding]
[buzzer ringing]
See that hand, see that right, and you have to let it.
[trainer speaking Spanish] [bell dinging]
[Announcer] Enter ring one.
[gloves thudding]
[timer buzzing]
Entering two.
Championship battle for number two.
Our champ, at the red corner, from Kissimmee-
[crowd cheering] Meryland with doubles.
[bell ringing]
[TV chattering]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Araceli speaking Spanish]
I don’t remember a lot.
I might get somethings wrong,
but my dad told me that when I was six,
I started boxing and I was punching the bag.
All of a sudden my nose started bleeding.
I just started like shaking and blanking out,
like I was lost.
[gloves thudding]
And this was before I even stepped in the ring
with another girl.
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Araceli speaking Spanish]
[Reporter] Now, Maryland is California’s top amateur boxer
for her age group and gender.
75 pounds of two fisted dynamite.
My dad, he was crying because I would been like,
Dad, itre you, you deserve it.
And then the trophy is for my mom,
and then the medals are for my sister.
I don’t fight for myself because we’re all in this together.
On behalf of the California State Assembly,
thank you for being a role model
and an inspiration to our youth within the Watts community
in the 64th assembly district,
signed by your California State assemblyman, Mike Gibson.
Thank you.
[class applauding]
[slow piano music]
But I’m going to be a grandmom any day now,
so I’ma tell my grandson about you, okay?
Okay. Congratulations.
I fight for different reasons.
One is my parents, my siblings,
and also because I want to be someone in life.
I want to be known for something.
I don’t know yet for what,
but I want to be known for something,
I want to leave my mark.
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Georgette speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Georgette speaking Spanish]
Mery.
[Georgette mumbling]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
‘Kay.
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[dog whining]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Meryland laughing]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[bell ringing]
One God, forever and forever.
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Teacher] Some of you might be very happy
with your report cards.
[Jorge laughing] [Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
Mhm.
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
My upcoming tournament
is the National Elite and Youth Championship,
so I’m going to go to Utah, Salt Lake City.
If I win this, it will get me to rank number one
in the nation and winning this tournament
will get me to entering the Junior Olympics 2019.
You know, my parents gave me the energy to keep going
because imagine if they don’t have energy
and they could still take me,
then I have to demonstrate to them
that taking me to the gym is not like a waste of time.
[gloves thudding]
It makes me think everything I did,
I’m going to do it like 10 times harder.
[crickets chirping]
[soft kisses]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[people chattering]
[Announcer] To get one step closer to their ultimate goal
of representing the United States of America in boxing.
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[gloves thudding]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[both laughing]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[hands patting]
[Meryland speaking Spanish] [Jorge speaking Spanish]
Ay.
Pow, pow, pow, pow.
[family mumbling and chuckling]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[suspenseful music]
[gloves thudding]
[coach speaking Spanish]
[bell ringing]
[boxers grunting]
[gloves thudding]
[boxer yelling]
[crowd cheering]
[Announcer] Blue is the female final round champion!
Our new winner.
[Meryland] I won my knockout!
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Trainer] You’re ranked number one now?
Yes.
[Trainer] That’s awesome.
I know when I say I want to win a gold medal,
I really mean it.
I have a second chance to come to this tournament
and do different things.
I still have a long way to go.
[Mariachi band music]
[people laughing and cheering]
[water splashing]
[kids chattering]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[both laughing]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[crowd cheering]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
Every tournament is different.
it’s like, I lost last year
and I don’t want that to happen again.
Winning the Junior Olympics 2019,
it’s like winning it for everyone who’s supporting me
and is supporting me in my journey.
[upbeat Spanish music]
You know, I want to make people proud.
[gloves thudding]
[ball thudding]
[girl laughing]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[suspenseful orchestral music]
[Announcer] Ring number four, bout 23.
This is you intermediate female 85 pound championship match!
Heading from dream league, Colorado, region number nine.
And her opponent, makes her home in Los Angeles,
California, region 14.
Boxing out of the blue corner,
Merryland Gonazales, Florenza.
[dramatic orchestral music]
[bell ringing]
[gloves thudding]
[boxer yelling]
[wood smacking]
[gloves thudding]
[bell ringing]
Get down, sit down, wait.
Listen to me, you have to turn it,
she’s coming in with that pressure.
Hey, that round was close,
but we’re going to give it to her.
We need two big rounds right now, you hear me?
We need two big rounds, Mery, listen to me.
Jab upstairs, right hand, turn it with that-
If she’s holding you,
just take a step back and do it, okay?
You ready?
You ready to give me two rounds?
Yeah. Two solid ass rounds?
Yeah. Let’s go.
[Bell ringing] Let’s go.
[gloves thudding]
[players grunting]
Listen to me, listen to me.
You’re boxing good but you’re moving way out of the pattern.
You’re moving, as soon as your attack stops,
that’s the [indistinct].
The moving boxing, stop, pa pa pa.
Go the other way, pa pa pa, move the other way.
Hopefully, we got one of those two first rounds, okay?
I need you to close the show.
You ready to close the show?
[gloves thudding] [bell ringing]
[gloves thudding]
[boxers grunting]
[bell ringing]
[Jorge] Split either way, I think.
Split ether way
[Announcer] Ring number, bout 23.
We have a unanimous decision for your winner
and new intermediate female 85 pound champion.
Out of the blue corner, Merryland Gonzalez Herrera.
[crowd cheering] [bell ringing]
[both crying]
Good job, Merryland.
[Spectator] Good job, girl.
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[Meryland speaking Spanish]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
Thanks to those fights that I have lost,
I’ve been learning more.
For me, when I run, when I train,
when I know I’m doing something good,
it’s like I want to keep running until the world ends.
I feel really grateful to be in that sport
and I feel very thankful
that my parents supported me with that dream.
[girl grunting]
[Jorge speaking Spanish]
[Meryland] God gave me a second chance
and I want to make a change in the world,
because this all becomes history.
[Areceli speaking Spanish]
[girl mumbling]
[Jorge laughing]
[serene orchestral music]
