Team Meryland

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell dings, cheering ] [ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] [ Thudding ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -Every girl has a dream.

Every girl wants to achieve something.

♪♪ But the Olympics is like only one could be an Olympian.

Only one could win a gold medal.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ The Junior Olympics 2018, I lost.

And this year, you know, I'm ready for whatever is coming my way because I feel like this year is going to be different.

And God only knows what's going to happen.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Crickets chirping ] ♪♪ 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 a lot of effort and winning.

They'll know who Meryland is.

♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Good to go?

Ready to fight?

-I was born ready.

-You're born ready?

Alright.

Well, good luck to you.

Good luck.

-[Indistinct] Meryland Gonzalez.

[ Bell dings ] ♪♪ -[ Indistinct ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Bell dings ] [ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ [ Buzzer sounding ] In ring two, championship bout number two.

Our champs are the red corner from [indistinct].

Meryland Gonzalez!

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Bell dings ] [ Television playing softly ] -[ Indistinct ] [ Chuckles ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -I don't remember a lot.

I might get some things 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 blinking out, like, I was lost.

And this was before I even stepped in the ring with another girl.

-[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Machine beeping ] -Now, Meryland 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 won a belt.

I'm like, "Dad, it's for 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.

I fight for different reasons.

One is my parents, my siblings, and also because I want to be someone in life.

I don't -- 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.

♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] Mery, Mery.

[ All speaking in Spanish ] Mery.

-[ Indistinct ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Dog barking ] [ Laughter ] ♪♪ [ Both speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ [ School bell rings ] [ Both speaking in Spanish ] -[ Laughs ] -[ Exhales sharply ] [ Lively, indistinct conversations ] -My upcoming tournament is the National and Elite Youth Championship, so I'm going to go to Utah, Salt Lake City.

If I win this, it'll get me to rank number one in the nation and winning this tournament will get me to entering the Junior Olympics 2019.

Ow.

You know, my parents give me the energy to keep going, because imagine if -- if they don't have energy and they can still take me, then I have to demonstrate to them that taking me to the gym is not like a waste of time.

It makes me think everything I did, I'm going to do it like 10 times harder.

[ Crickets chirping ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Music playing softly on radio ] ♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ -Hi!

-[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Thudding ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -Ay.

-Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

Oh!

Oh!

-[ Vocalizing ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -Ooh!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

♪♪ [ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] ♪♪ [ Cheering ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] -Whoo!

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] Blue!

[ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ -You're ranked number one now?

-Yes.

-Nationals?

-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.

♪♪ [ Cheering, lively conversation ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheering ] [ Man singing in Spanish ] [ All speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Laughter ] -Hey!

-[ Laughs ] [ Applause ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Man singing in Spanish on radio ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] [ Cheers and applause ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -One more, one more, one more.

Back.

-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 supported me and is supporting me in my journey.

You know, I want to make people proud.

♪♪ [ Man singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Alright.

Here we go.

[ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -Ring number 4, bout 23.

[ Bell dings ] This is your intermediate female 85-pound championship!

In from Greeley, Colorado, region number nine, boxing out of the red corner, Grace Gonzales!

And her opponent makes her home in Los Angeles, California, region 14.

Boxing out of the blue corner, Meryland Gonzalez Herrera!

♪♪ [ Bell dings ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Clacking ] ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] -How you feeling, Meryland?

Sit down.

Sit down.

Wait.

Listen to me.

You have to turn her.

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, mija.

Listen to me.

Jab upstairs, right hand, turn in with that hook.

If she's holding you, take a step back and move, okay?

You ready?

Ready to give me two rounds?

-Yes.

-Two solid-ass rounds?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

Let's go.

[ Bell dings ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] -Listen to me, listen to me.

You're boxing good, but you're moving way out in the [indistinct].

You're moving as soon as your attack stops.

That's when you hit her.

Moving, boxing, stop -- bop, bop, bop.

Go the other way.

Bop, bop, bop.

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?

[ Bell dings ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell dings ] -Ring number 4, bout 23.

We have a unanimous decision for your winner.

And new intermediate female 85-pound champion... ...out of the blue corner... -Yes!

-...Meryland Gonzalez [indistinct]!

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Lively, indistinct conversations ] -Good job, Meryland.

-Good work.

[ Announcer speaking indistinctly ] -Good job, girl!

-[ Indistinct ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ [ Sniffles ] -[ Speaking in Spanish ] ♪♪ -[ Speaking in 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.

-[ Speaking in Spanish ] -God gave me a second chance.

And I want to make a change in the world.

Because... this all becomes history.

♪♪ -[ Speaking in Spanish ] -[ Chuckles ] -[ Indistinct ] -Hey!

Hey!

[ Laughs ] [ Door closes ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪