Erica dos Santos Matos (born May 24, 1983) in is an amateur

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Hailing from Salvador, capital of the state of

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

, Matos first practiced

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

before a classmate invited her to attend boxing classes with him in 2005. Liking the sport, Matos would decide further dedication to it after winning a national championship in Salvador. She was guided by Luiz Dórea, best known for coaching Brazil's world champion boxer

Acelino Freitas Acelino "Popó" Freitas (; born September 21, 1975) is a Brazilian politician and a former professional boxer who competed between 1995 and 2017. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO super featherweight title from 19 ...

.Érica Matos (Boxe)
/ref> While Matos fell in the round of 16 at the

2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships The 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships was held in Qinhuangdao, China from May 9 to May 22, 2012. For the first time, this world championship served as a qualifier for the 2012 Summer Olympics. 305 boxers participated from 70 countrie ...

, her consistent results in the 2011-12 cycle earned her an

International Boxing Association The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur boxing, amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate ...

invitational spot to represent

in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

Division. In the Round of 16 she lost to Karlha Magliocco of Venezuela 14-15. Matos is married to fellow Salvador boxer

Robson Conceição Robson Donato Conceição (born 25 October 1988) is a Brazilian professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title from July 2024 to November 2024. As an amateur, he became the first Brazilian boxer to win an ...

, who also competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and would later become the first Brazilian Olympic boxing champion in 2016. The couple have a daughter, Sophia. Following the Games, Matos declared she would take a sabbatical from boxing to take care of her family, while not discarding a return to the sport to fight in the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

.Dos ringues ao lar: Érica Matos larga boxe para se dedicar à família
/ref>

Achievements

* 2013 – Brazilian Women's National Championships 1st place – 51 kg * 2012 – Panamerican Women's Championships (Cornwall, CAN) 2nd place – 51 kg * 2010 – Panamerican Women's Championships (Brasília, BRA) 1st place – 46 kg * 2009 – Panamerican Women's Championships (Guayaquil, ECU) 1st place – 46 kg * 2007 – Panamerican Women's Championships (Duran, ECU) 1st place – 46 kg * 2012 – Three Nations Women's Meeting (Santo Amaro, BRA) 3rd place – 51 kg * 2011 – Stars Tournament (Sao Vicente, BRA) 2nd place – 51 kg * 2011 – 2nd Panamerican Games Qualification Tournament (Quito, ECU) 3rd place – 51 kg * 2010 – Stars Tournament (Moggi das Cruzes, BRA) 2nd place – 51 kg * 2010 – Brazilian Women's National Championships 1st place – 48 kg * 2007 – Brazilian Women's National Championships 1st place – 46 kg * 2010 – South American Games (Medellin, COL) 1st place – 51 kg * 2009 – Brazilian Women's National Championships 1st place – 48 kg * 2005 – Brazilian Women's National Championships 1st place – 46 kg

References

Brazilian women boxers Olympic boxers for Brazil Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Boxers from Salvador, Bahia 1983 births Living people Flyweight boxers South American Games gold medalists for Brazil South American Games medalists in boxing Competitors at the 2010 South American Games 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen {{Brazil-boxing-bio-stub