Some of the world most famous sculptures are nude. Do we need to cover David’s genitals in order to appreciate Michelangelo’s masterpiece?

And what about “The Thinker”, or “The Kiss” by master Rodin? Do we need to be nude to think or to kiss?

This week in the boxing community, and perhaps in the sports world, the conversation has been about “The Body Issue” where Olympian bronze medalist Marlen Esparza poses to the lenses of professional photographers, to be part of the annual ESPN magazine.

Yes, Esparza, 23 years old beautiful Latina is showing her skin to the world and like always, there are many who think she is beautiful, and others who believe she did something wrong.

Boxing is an art, people believe it or not. And every time a boxer gets into the ring to box, no matter what garments he/she is wearing to cover the body, his/her soul, heart, and mind are completely exposed. Not with the public, or to the opponent, but with oneself. The boxer’s movement, the sound of the feet, the arms, and the body, it’s a dance. To connect, in perfect sync, the jab, uppercut or hook, they require skills, artfulness and coordination with the whole body.

Every time Esparza jumps into the ring, she is naked, completely, no matter what the rest of the people see in her clothes.  No one pays attention to that, they look at her skills and focus on that. The body is invisible to what judges count in the blows. What journalists write about is if she had, or not, a good performance and if she wins or looses. What the public sees is the combinations, the defense or offense, if she boxed good or bad that day. But no one understands she was completely naked in the ring in order to win her fight.

I’ve been following Marlen since 2010 and I know pretty well this bright, beautiful, caring, fun, sincere young woman who as all of us, is far from being perfect.  But, who since the age of twelve has sacrificed everything, and I mean everything, to reach her goals. She is one of those athletes that at a young age knew her calling and she followed it.

She is one of the boxers in the Americas who has gained most media attention. After all these years when her dad David needed to work many extra hours in his job as a welder, to pay for her boxing career, she finally has her financial freedom. It didn’t happen overnight. As they say, “Success or failure doesn’t happen overnight, it is a process, and Marlen has been at this for 12 years.

Her body is a product of that sacrifice; hard work, and perseverance and it’s beautiful. Why can’t she share that beauty with the world and destroy all the misogynistic comments about women boxers?  She is showing, and exposing, one more time, her humanity, to benefit of what she believes in and for what she has had fight for so long.