Melinda "La Maravilla" Cooper (born 6 March 1985) is an American former professional boxer who held the WIBA and IBA flyweight titles and challenged for the IBF super-bantamweight championship during her 12-year career.
[2] Cooper began her professional boxing career at the age of 17 on 23 March 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Annalisa Middleton.
[2] On 14 January 2005, in her 14th pro-fight and aged 19, she claimed the WIBA and IBA flyweight titles thanks to a ninth round stoppage win over Anissa Zamarron at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California.
[3][4] Having won her first 21 bouts, 11 by stoppage, Cooper fought Ada Vélez for the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title at the National Stadium in San José, Costa Rica, on 31 March 2011, losing by split decision with two of the ringside judges scoring the contest 96-94 for her opponent while the third had it in her favour by the same tally.
[9][10][11] Cooper appeared in television series Necessary Roughness on the USA Network in 2011 doing fight scenes for actress Alyssa Diaz.