Sgt. Rianna Rios, 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, punches a medicine ball as part of a warmup during boxing practice Dec. 4, 2017, in Colorado Springs. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
By 2nd Lt. Angela DiMattia
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Fort Carson’s Sgt. Rianna Rios won the USA National Boxing Championship in the elite female 125 pound lightweight division in Salt Lake City, Dec. 9, 2017.
Rios initially didn’t make it into the tournament. However, her coach, Reyes Marquez, believed the Soldier with the 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was the top fighter at her weight in the country, so they applied for a wild card spot in late October 2017.
“Rianna is fueled by being surrounded by her supporters and those who love her. I knew that in the right circumstances, Rianna could stand against anyone,” said Marquez.
Boxing coach Charles Leverette helps Sgt. Rianna Rios, 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, put on her boxing gloves during a practice in Colorado Springs Jan. 4, 2018. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
Rios was informed her application for the wild card was accepted in early November 2017, while she was participating in a field training event. Going into the tournament she was ranked eighth in the country and was the only fighter in her weight class who had to literally fight her way out of the bottom bracket.
“I just had to remind myself to have fun with it, because I always fight at my best when I’m smiling. I don’t go in there all mad and angry like some fighters do. I think my smile and polite demeanor messes with my opponent’s head,” said Rios.
The tournament consisted of three fights for Rios. Her first fight was Dec. 5, 2017, when she faced another bottom-seed fighter. Rios won by unanimous decision, 5-0. She fought the No. 1 seed Dec. 7, 2017, earning another 5-0 unanimous decision. Rios fought for the championship spot Dec. 9, 2017.
Sgt. Rianna Rios, 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, wraps her hand before boxing practice Dec.4, 2017, in Colorado Springs. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
“I had already accomplished more than what was expected of me. I had nothing to lose,” said Rios.
Again with a 5-0 unanimous decision, Rios defeated her final opponent to secure her new title as national champion.
Rios’ childhood dream is to compete on the Olympic stage. The 2013 graduate was the star fighter at Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco High, in Ben Bolt, Texas. She met the then U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) boxing head coach, Charles Leverette, at USA Nationals in 2013, a few months before she graduated high school.
Leverette approached Rios’ father to talk to him about options for Rios joining WCAP. By the end of the year, Rios was in Basic Training and well on her way to becoming the fighter she is today.
Sgt. Rianna Rios, 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, wraps her hand before boxing practice Jan. 4, 2018, in Colorado Springs. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)
“WCAP introduced me to better boxers and better training partners,” said Rios. “I was given more opportunities to compete in national competitions.”
As her enlisted contract comes to an end, Rios decided to start training outside of WCAP, as an unattached boxer, similar to that of a free agent. The benefits of this option for Rios is that she can work with multiple boxers at different gyms and design her own program with a new coach.
“I’m 23 years old now and a more mature boxer. My knowledge of the sport is far greater now than when I was 18 or 19. I am now able to adapt to any style of fighter and am no longer one dimensional,” said Rios.
She currently is a training room NCO responsible for tracking, implementing and reporting the annual training requirements for the Soldiers in her company.
“Being in the Army, I learned that I can adapt and overcome anything.
I believe in myself so much more now,” said Rios.
Sgt. Rianna Rios, 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, punches a medicine ball as part of a warmup during boxing practice Jan. 4, 2018, in Colorado Springs. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor)