Community Champions: Ivy Enriquez, 18, shining in young boxing career

EL PASO, Texas - Ivy Enriquez packs quite the punch.

At 18-years-old, she's already begun a pro boxing career.

"I believe I'm going at a pace that's good for me," Enriquez said. "I've been getting a lot of good opportunities, so to be able to grow as fast as I am it's exciting." 

After a hard-fought bout at the El Paso County Coliseum over the weekend, Enriquez improved her record to 4-0.

Despite her young boxing career, Enriquez has gone through the ups and down of being a boxer, which includes dealing with injuries.

In 2023, she tore her ACL.

"The battles were tough (dealing with ACL injury), but slowly by slowly my family was there to help me overcome them," Enriquez said.

Ivy's father and trainer, Sergio Enriquez, has played an integral role in his daughter's career.

He transformed the family's backyard into a boxing gym.

"I told myself that I was going to be dedicated as her (Ivy)," Sergio Enriquez said. "I'm all the way in. Wherever she wants to go I'm going to try and get her where she wants to be." 

"We've done it all together," Ivy Enriquez said. "It's not just me who puts in all the work he (Sergio) put in a lot of work too. It's made our bond stronger."

Ivy is now preparing for her next match which she says will happen in October.

Her goal is to become a world champion.

She hopes her story will inspire other young women to follow their dreams.

Ivy recently graduated from Bel Air High School.

While she continues her boxing career, she says she wants to study to be a dentist.

For all of her accomplishments, Ivy Enriquez is this week's Community Champion.

Community Champions is sponsored by Albertsons and the El Paso Community Foundation.