INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – When Hannah Rapp walked into the Bryan College Station Boxing Gym for the first time, where she would train the last two years of her life, it only took 10 minutes to make an impression: Asking to spar with the boys. 

“She commenced to putting a whooping on that boy,” head coach Carl Perry told News 8. 

Perry remembers the shock of seeing Rapp compete. The “meanness,” the “aggressiveness.” The complete opposite of her presence outside of the ring. 

“She had positivity just coming from her. You could feel it when she walked into the gym,” Perry said. “If there truly are angels on Earth, she was one of them.” 

Rapp was raised in Yorktown, Indiana, competed in track and field at Purdue University, then started her pro boxing career in 2024 with a first round knockout inside Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis.  

But the Hoosier native made a second home in College Station, Texas, where Perry said she was making a name for herself as a contender.

Rapp was undefeated through her first nine professional boxing matches, competing in the Midwest, Texas, and traveling to Mexico on three occasions, winning by knockout each time she went South of the border. 

Just two years into her professional career, Rapp earned a title shot. 

Rapp went the distance with the WBC Women’s Featherweight Champion Tiara Brown on June 13, losing a 10-round decision. She ended her career with an 8-1-1 record, with 5 wins by knockout. 

Perry believed it was a matter of time before she was a world champion. “I think she would have become a hall of famer.” 

According to the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Charles Medina drove past Rapp on Saturday morning, while she was cycling along a rural road. Authorities say Medina stopped his vehicle, reversed, and crashed into Rapp. 

She died at the hospital. 

“I lost it,” Perry said. “I just broke down and cried.”

Perry had a feeling something was wrong when her boyfriend called. “My heart just kind of fell out then and there.”

Perry said Rapp’s boyfriend was riding with her, and asked Perry to come to the scene of the crash. When Rapp’s boyfriend described what happened, he said the wreck seemed intentional. 

Medina is charged with manslaughter, currently being held on a $250,000 bond. 

With Rapp’s life, and career as a fighter, ended at just 26-years old, her coach is now fighting for justice. “She did not deserve this,” Perry said. “He destroyed a beautiful soul.”

There’s a growing memorial outside the gym, and plans to hold a candlelight vigil this week. Perry said Rapp was sincerely loved for her presence. He doesn’t know how he’ll handle her absence.

“Honestly, there’s a hole in my heart that’s never going to be filled again.”

About The Author

See author's posts