Naomi Graham is aware of the importance of being chosen to follow Shields at 75 kilograms in Tokyo, but she's faced bigger pressures in her life. Graham will be the first female active-duty service member to fight for the U.S. at the Olympics, and she relishes the history she's making. "I always had the dream, but before (2012), women couldn't dream of going to the Olympics," Graham said. Shields' departure for pro boxing cleared a path in 2017, and Graham has steadily fought her way to international prominence. Fighters from the Americas didn't even get a qualifying tournament, where Graham had hoped to build on her Pan-Ams success.

Source: Fox News July 06, 2021 21:22 UTC