The Fight In and Out the Ring for Mexican American Women Boxers

In the context of the United States (US) sport sector, particularly within the boxing domain, a prevalent hypermasculine culture has been widely observed. Despite this prevalence, there exists a significant gap in research: addressing the shared experiences of Latinas, specifically Mexican American women boxers in the US. To bridge this divide, the authors employ a qualitative study utilizing Latin Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) as the primary theoretical framework to further investigate the boxing experiences of Mexican American women inside and outside the ring. The study engaged ten participants in semi-structured interviews, while additionally collecting data from their respective boxing gyms' media sites. The findings revealed that despite facing numerous biases, Mexican American women boxers demonstrated resilience and determination in their efforts to overcome the barriers posed by both Latin cultural dominance and the male-dominated US sports landscape. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights to the existing scholarship on Latinas, specifically Mexican American women in the sports field, while also offering practical suggestions for future research.