Vivian Gutierrez hits the speed bag at Unanimous Boxing in Logan Square. The Steinmetz College Prep freshman has dreams of boxing in the Olympics.

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Share this on Email She needed to fight. The jabs and hooks would wash out the bittersweet taste of the last bout she lost in a split decision at the hands of a world champion. They would honor a family member she had lost. They would make her feel like a somebody — not the nobody kid who showed up at the gym with her fists and her dad’s clothes. So when 16-year-old Vivian Gutierrez learned she would win her first Golden Gloves title Thursday without stepping into the ring, it was a sucker punch. It meant she would not blare rapper Post Malone during her warmup or pray with her dad’s rosary before the fight. She wouldn’t sweat or hear an eight count. She’d be denied the unrivaled rush — or disappointment — from the ref lifting a hand high above the ropes to declare a champion. The promising young boxer had hit a common wall: No one to fight. Vivian’s opponent dropped out of the almost 100-year-old Chicago amateur boxing tournament the week before the competition. Vivian "Rocky" Gutierrez, 16, a freshman at Steinmetz College Prep in Chicago’s Belmont Central neighborhood, is relentless in the ring. She is one of about 68 women who entered this year’s Golden Gloves — out of more than 400 boxers — and is part of that still modest but growing number of women entering the ring and expanding the reach of the sport. Boxing only recently welcomed women to its ranks, and now a lack of money and recognition means their numbers remain small and fights for girls are hard to find. But there are reasons for hope, including a high-profile national bout Saturday. The matchup, billed by some as the biggest fight in the history of professional women’s boxing, will take place in Atlantic City between two undefeated middleweight champions: rising star and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields of Flint, Mich., and longtime German champion Christina Hammer. The fight was featured on Showtime’s “All Access” documentary series — a first for female boxers, according to an Associated Press report. In a news conference about a fight last year, Shields, 24, said, “We have more than one fight to fight. Not just fighting each other, of course, but fighting for equal pay, equal time on TV.” Vivian is part of that still modest but growing number of women entering the ring and expanding the reach of the sport. She has collected the autographs of champion fighters for years. Now she’s working on her own signature. “It’s for me,” she said. “To prove that I belong in this. That I can fight with the best.” Vivian Gutierrez, top left, arrives home from school with her family on Feb. 28, 2019. Gutierrez said her siblings motivate her to train and be her best as a boxer. “I’d do pretty much anything for them,” she said. “They are always there for me.” Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-38-ct0093541115-20190410 ‘I want to keep going’ On a training day in March, Vivian, a freshman at Steinmetz College Prep in Chicago’s Belmont Central neighborhood, came home from school and sat down at the dining table. Her dad, Eddye Gutierrez, cooked fish, rice and broccoli so she could eat before heading to the gym. Vivian fought for the first time about four years ago. She won. Her dad, who was a boxer back in the day and was her first coach, asked if she wanted to keep boxing. She said yes. It’s “the way it makes you feel after you win,” she said. “How your training gets you motivated for school.”

Vivian Gutierrez, 16, left, laughs with her sister Dulce, 12, as they ride home from school on Feb. 28, 2019, in Chicago. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-36-ct0093541097-20190410 Eddye Gutierrez, right, serves dinner to his daughter Vivian and her siblings at their home in Chicago on Feb. 28, 2019. Gutierrez usually makes her a healthy dinner, which she eats after school before heading to the gym to train. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-39-ct0093541121-20190410

Her friends were surprised by her interest in the sport, but they were supportive. “Most of them are like, ‘Let me come to your gym, let me train with you,’” Vivian said. She tells them: “OK, come. Can you keep up? When my dad trains, can you keep up with that?” On the wall next to her bunk bed in the small apartment, pins held up photos of boxers. Mostly men. A baseball cap with Chicago flag-emblazoned gloves rested on her dresser. One day, Vivian wants to compete in the Olympics. “If I don’t make it to the Olympics, it’s all right, but at least I tried to get there,” she said. Vivian Gutierrez leaves her Belmont Cragin home to train at Unanimous Boxing in Logan Square in Chicago on March 14, 2019. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-66-ct0093541376-20190410 ‘Pushed me to my limits’ At Unanimous Boxing, Vivian’s home gym in Logan Square, a trainer does a playful impression of her when she’s outside the ring: Shoulders caved, giggling. But when Vivian is training she’s completely quiet, aside from the ch-ch-chs she breathes out, intonating the punches. She’s relentless in the ring. Previously ranked in the top five in the nation in the 119-pound weight class, Vivian was ranked 10th this week in the more competitive 125-pound class. She’s the only ranked fighter in the class from the Midwest. “I tell everyone, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I sparred with a 16-year-old and she’s so good,’” said Sinead Schenk, a 23-year-old boxer at Unanimous.

Vivian Gutierrez trains at Unanimous Boxing in Chicago on March 14, 2019. “If I don’t make it to the Olympics, it’s all right, but at least I tried to get there,” she said. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-72-ct0093541425-20190410

On a recent training day Vivian jumped rope, staring straight ahead at the mirror. Her bright yellow shoes went back and forth, blurring against the neon rope smacking the hardwood floor. As she sped up, the cracks of the rope competed with the gym’s music — the triplet booms of punches and the piercing screech of a three-minute timer. Vivian's dad put on his glasses and wrapped up her hands. During breaks from mitts drills, he brought her water. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without him,” said Vivian. “He’s the one that’s pushed me to my limits.” If her Olympic or pro dreams happen, Vivian said, she will buy him a house. “And a car. And then I’d buy my whole family a house to live in, with me, because I don’t like being alone.” Eddye Gutierrez wraps his daughter’s hands at Unanimous Boxing in Chicago on Feb. 19, 2019. “Last time my dad was on Facebook and this guy was all like, ‘Don’t force your daughter into doing things she doesn’t want to,’ and I was like, ‘You know what? I am into this sport because I like it, not because my dad is forcing me into doing something,” she said. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-27-ct0093541041-20190410 ‘Barely even known’ Three weeks ago, Vivian escaped Chicago’s ceaseless winter to take on a reigning champion at the Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships in Reno, Nev. In her trophy case back home, gloves autographed by Laila Ali are displayed in a place of honor. Vivian hoped to replace those gloves with a new prize. Her dad, who stayed home to watch the livestream from Chicago, told her, “You’re fighting for everyone I know.” “That’s what everyone’s saying — that I’m representing Chicago, that I’ve got Chicago on my shoulders,” said Vivian. “I was like, that’s a lot of pressure.”

A USA Boxing official speaks to Vivian “Rocky” Gutierrez of Chicago as she prepares to fight Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco of California at the USA Boxing 2019 Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships on March 26, 2019, in Reno, Nev. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-137-ct0093540400-20190410

In the days leading up to the fight, Vivian did some shadow boxing by the pool. But on the day of the fight, she rested and watched videos of her competitor. “She leads from her body, so my strategy for today is stick on her, don’t let her breathe, keep punching and punching,” Vivian said over the phone about an hour before the fight. Vivian “Rocky” Gutierrez wears her father’s rosary as she prepares for a fight. “I also pray before my fight, before every fight, just pray that I would come out safely out of the ring. And also to see if I get the win.” Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-136-ct0093540394-20190410 She thought the fight could go either way. Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco had more people cheering her on at the match. She was the favorite. The two had fought once before, and Vivian lost. “I’m barely even known,” Vivian said. She listened to Post Malone’s “Congratulations,” wore her father’s rosary and said a prayer. In red, with a “Rocky” belt — her nickname — Vivian stepped into the ring and went in for a body shot. In the second round, Roxy got in a punch that snapped back Vivian’s head. Vivian was given an eight count, a judgment by the referee to stop the action while he counts to eight. She recharged in the corner with Unanimous coach Lalo Beas and owner Trinidad Garcia. Before the final round, Roxy spit out her mouthpiece and caught some air. She came back strong to cries of “Roxy! Roxy! Roxy! Roxy!” After the match, the ref raised Roxy’s hand. Vivian lost — but it was a split decision (one of three judges picked Vivian), her coaches said. “Vivian was in her face the whole time,” Beas said from Reno after the fight. “A lot of people said, you won that fight.” Both said Vivian would win the next one. After the fight, Vivian said she was going to get a big cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake — and call her dad. “I’m very proud because I just stood up against the world champion, and I almost beat her,” she said. Vivian Gutierrez, left, battles Iyana Verduzco at the USA Boxing 2019 Western Elite Qualifier and Regional Open Championships on March 26, 2019, Reno, Nev. Vivian lost in a split decision but said she’d win the next one. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-139-ct0093540414-20190410 ‘Whatever pops up, we go’ “I’m sorry,” said coach Beas, again and again. “I’m so sorry.” Vivian stared at him, wearing a green Golden Gloves T-shirt. She said nothing. It was a week after Reno and a week before the Golden Gloves. Vivian was ready to take the close call and turn it into a win in Chicago. Her dad, siblings and friends planned to come watch. Vivian hoped to dedicate the fight to a family member who recently died. Beas had to break the news that Vivian’s opponent had dropped out. He had called around to other gyms, but it’s often hard enough to set up any fight, let alone a last-minute one. No words from Vivian. “She didn’t have to say words, her facial expression told me what was going on,” Beas said. “She was hurt. She was devastated and disappointed. We all were.” Vivian Gutierrez stretches at her gym, Unanimous Boxing in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, on Feb. 18, 2019. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-21-ct0093540968-20190410 Vivian returned to training, jumping rope, breathing heavily. “It’s just so hard for these girls to get fights,” said Beas. He worried about how to keep fighters motivated when there’s no fight to look forward to. Vivian’s next fight probably will be in June in the National Junior Olympics in Madison, Wis. “Whatever pops up, we go,” Vivian’s dad, Eddye Gutierrez, said. ‘I work harder than most people’ Vivian was one of about 68 women who entered this year’s Golden Gloves — out of more than 400 boxers — up from 32 in 2016, said Golden Gloves director Larry Roeske. But finding enough fighters to meet in the various weight and age classes is challenging. Two other women at the gym — which was sending 15 women to the Golden Gloves — also had no one to fight. Schenk, 23, learned she’d get a belt Thursday without fighting. She said she has moved weight classes in the past just so she could fight someone. “At this point, I almost have to travel if I want to fight,” said Schenk, noting that there are more fighters in Southern and Western states. Sinead Schenk, 23, puts her hair up as she prepares to train at Unanimous Boxing in Logan Square on Feb. 13, 2019. Schenk was training to compete in the 2019 Chicago Golden Gloves, but her opponent dropped out a week before the finals. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-01 “We went to this tournament in California in June last year, and I really liked it because they just called everybody the fighters,” she said. “On the East Coast and Midwest, usually in a show, I’ll be the only female fight, and they will always call us the ladies.” When she started fighting in her college club, Schenk felt like she and the other women didn’t initially receive as much investment from trainers. “People have told me, oh, you shouldn’t box, you’re too pretty,” said Schenk, who works as a legal analyst during the day. “Someone once told me I worked hard for a girl, as a condition. And I was like, I think I work harder than most people, period, but thank you for that qualifier.” ‘Poor person’s sport’ Garcia said women’s boxing is still not financially equal to men’s, but it’s getting better. Beas said he hopes that in a few years, when Vivian might go professional, the purses for women’s bouts will triple or quadruple the current levels so it would be possible for her to make a decent living. “Even the ones you see on TV, they have regular jobs,” said Beas. “It’s a poor person’s sport.” A pro could expect to make $800 for a fight, Beas said. Sinead Schenk puts on headgear as she prepares to spar at Unanimous Boxing on Feb. 13, 2019. Image p2p slug: chi-ct-ct-golden-gloves-boxing-2019-06 “At the end of the day, most boxers, unless you make the high performance squad, and even a lot of professionals starting out, they go to work during the day and go to the gym at night,” said USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee. However, McAtee said, “the sport empowers females on the same level as males. So that’s the exciting part. You go into a boxing gym. They don’t treat the girls any different than the boys. And that’s about the respect that the sport brings.” USA Boxing sanctioned women’s amateur boxing in 1993 after a lawsuit. The Golden Gloves let women compete for the first time in 1994. A Tribune story about that first competition noted that “amid the cheers from the darkened audience below, a lone male voice could be heard loudly complaining, ‘Get some real fighters in there!’” In 2012, the Olympics featured women’s boxing for the first time. Fifteen years ago, the Tribune reported there were only 2,000 women registered to box nationwide, and the number in Illinois was a paltry 57. Now there are 2,764 female boxers registered nationwide, according to USA Boxing, a national governing body for amateur boxers, and 126 are from Illinois. There are about 32,000 boxers total, McAtee said. The organization is working to nearly double the number of female boxers by 2024 and increase total membership to 50,000. McAtee said growing women’s boxing — and growing interest in the sport generally — is one of the organization’s major focuses, along with increasing the number of female coaches and officials. “Hopeful is the understatement of the year,” he said about the sport’s future. “I boxed as a kid,” said McAtee. “I know the benefits of it. It saved my life. And it saves lives every day.” ‘Everybody’s ultimate dream’ McAtee said he attributes the sport’s growth to attention brought by professional boxers like Chicago’s Jessica McCaskill — someone Vivian said could inspire other young women to pick up the sport — and Claressa Shields. “Claressa is a trailblazer,” said McAtee, mentioning the upcoming fight. “Success breeds success.” In 2020 there will be five contested weight classes for women at the Olympics, up from three in 2012 and 2016, which McAtee said he hopes will open the competition to more people. Help support important journalism Subscribe “Do we hope she (Vivian) can make the Olympics? Of course,” said Garcia. “I think that’s everybody’s ultimate dream.” “But when it comes down to it, it’s a difficult road.” That’s part of what drives Vivian. “The fact that you made it,” she said. “After you were nobody. You started from nothing. “I started with a trash bag and my dad’s clothes,” she said with a laugh. On Thursday night, lightning flashed into the windows at Cicero Stadium. Vivian stood near the ring with Schenk before the 10th bout. Their names were called, they walked into the ring, and a ref raised their hands in the air. “Go Rocky!” said Vivian’s dad. Vivian held her 2019 champion trophy, a male boxer perched on top. Now she’s just waiting to get back in the ring. “Everything just fades away,” she said. “And right when that bell rings, I get the first punch. And I keep going.” mgreene@chicagotribune.com Twitter @morgreene ehooley@chicagotribune.com Twitter @erinhooley