The 28-year-old lightweight from Seattle (pictured top) lost a narrow one-point decision to Norway's Ingrid Egner at the 2011 Women's World Championships in China last month in an event that acted as the only qualifier for the London 2012 women's boxing competition.

The loss meant that she missed out on qualifying for the Olympics because only the first-placed finisher from the Americas qualified for the Games.

But Underwood has been the beneficiary of a ruling that lets the International Boxing Association (AIBA) select additional wild-card fighters for the event who did not qualify via the World Championships.

The AIBA Olympic Selection Guidelines, which have been approved the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board, state that the remaining Americas spot must go to the second highest finisher from the 2011 World Championships.

That proved to be Underwood and she admitted that she was in tears of joy following a phone call from USA Boxing executive director Anthony Bartkowski in which he informed her she has now been nominated for London 2012.

"I'm just so happy right now," she said.

"I've been waiting for this second chance and it means a lot to be able to go to the Olympics.

"All I heard was 'Welcome to the Olympic team' and I just couldn't control my emotions.

"I am just happy and thrilled that they chose me.

"I now have the chance to write my own story and my winning the gold medal is now going to be the headline.

"That's what I owe to everybody and to myself.

"I can't wait to get in the ring, I really can't.

"It is going to be way different this time."


Underwood's selection by AIBA means that the United States will be represented in all three women's weight divisions.

Flyweight Marlen Esparza (pictured above, in blue) from Texas and middleweight Claressa Shields from Michigan both qualified for London 2012 from the World Championships and all will be medal contenders with only 12 boxers in each of the three women's weight divisions to compete at the Games.

Underwood admitted that she is delighted to join Esparza and Shields at the Games but that the wait to find out if she had made it to London 2012 was almost unbearable.

"This past three weeks almost destroyed me mentally," she said.

"All this pressure, everything since China has been so hard.

"This is God's gift to me, the chance to pursue what I've always dreamed about.

"It's obviously a dream come true and it wasn't even in my control.

"I've worked hard to get here.

"I'm just so happy right now."

Bartkowski said he was overjoyed to give Underwood the call to tell her she had made it to London 2012.

"We are thrilled for Queen and believe that she absolutely deserved to be in London," he said.

"She has been an outstanding representative for the sport since her first national championship win in 2007 and the team feels complete now that she will be joining Marlen and Claressa in London."

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