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5'4" bantamweight Mariana Anastasia Juárez was born on January 29, 1980
in Santa Ursula, México. She
grew up in Coyoacan, a "colonia" in México City, with
two sisters and two brothers.
She made her professional boxing debut at age 18 with a second-round KO over
Virginia Esparza on May 22 1998 in México City. (She has said she was paid all of $53 for
fighting this bout!)
On December 21, 1998 in San Mateo Atenco, México, she was less fortunate,
losing by a third-round TKO to debut fighter María Durán.
On July 3, 1999 at La Arena México in México City,
she faced Ana María Torres on a card that featured the first sanctioned
women's professional bouts to be held in México City. Torres won a four-round split (39-37, 39-38, 37-39)
decision over Mariana in a 49-kg (jr. flyweight) bout, starting a rivalry that
would become one of the better ones in Mexican female boxing.
Ana María Torres would often appear in Erik Morales' boxing shows and considers Morales her mentor
and advisor, while Mariana Juárez is similarly mentored by Marco Antonio Barrera. Laura Serrano, Mexico's best known female boxer and women's boxing advocate,
was on hand to celebrate the breakthrough event.
On July 31, 1999 in San Mateo Atenco, Mariana avenged her loss to María Durán,
winning a four-round decision to even her own record at 2-2.
On August 21, 1999 at La Arena México in México City, Mariana
(116 lbs) scored a TKO
over Gloria Ríos (113 lbs) of México City at 0:21 in the third round. Rios fell
to 1-1.
On September 15, 1999 at La Arena México in México City,
Mariana (120 lbs) fought to a four-round draw with Ivonne Muñoz (119 lbs), who
was making her pro debut. My correspondent told
me "Mariana lost the fight but it was a draw!"
On October 30, 1999 at La Arena México in México City, México,
Mariana TKO'd Maribel Zamora in the third round of
a scheduled four-rounder. Zamora fell to 0-2.
On December 11, 1999 at La Arena México in México City, she fought
Ana María Torres
to a four-round
draw in a rematch of their fight on July 3. Torres moved her record to 2-0-1.
On January 29, 2000 in Salina Cruz, México, Mariana won a four-round
decision over Gloria Rios of México City, dropping her to 1-2.
On October 21, 2000 at Salon 21 de Polanco in México City, México,
Mariana (113 lbs) won a four-round decision over Ivonne Muñoz (116 lbs).
Tired of fighting the same opponents in México on infrequent low-budget shows
(female boxers in México City typically step into the ring for about $200 a
fight), Juárez took the advice of her mentor Marco Antonio Barrera to get herself
established in the USA. An American TV
crew that saw her training with Rudy Perez in the gym in México City suggested she go to Miami
to try out as a fashion model, but Mariana preferred to seek fame with her fists rather
than her looks. "I thought that among female boxers, with my abilities and dedication, I will be one of the best,
God willing, and among models I would have been just one in a bunch", she says.
She finally came to the USA to further her boxing training with Ben Lira in
South El Monte, California. Lira
has trained several female fighters including 1998, 1999 and 2002 US national amateur
106-lb champion Linda Carrillo. Lira
compares Mariana to Oscar De La Hoya:
"People love her because she can really fight and she has that special thing. I can’t explain it. But she has it."
She made her US debut on May 11, 2001 at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, California,
moving her record to 5-1-1 (3 KO's) with a third-round
TKO of Sue Chase of Sandusky, Ohio. Chase, who was one of the most
persistent female fighters ever in a losing cause, fell to a remarkable 1-24-1. Juárez
used a mix of uppercuts and body shots to make Chase
bend over in pain to get the stoppage. Chase was retired by the California
commission after this loss.
On June 21, 2001 at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, California, Mariana won by a TKO
at 0:17 in the
fourth round over Jessica Treat of Los Angeles, who fell to 4-3 (1 KO).
Treat, a one-time protégé of Oscar de la Hoya, had problems with the aggressive
style of Juárez in the first round but then appeared to be getting the fight
more under
control in the second and third. Juárez then erupted in the fourth with a
barrage of head shots that sent Treat reeling to her corner with her head
covered and her back to Juárez, bringing the TKO.
On April 10, 2002 Mariana returned to Polanco, México and won by a first-round TKO over Miriam Serrano.
Serrano fell to 0-3, all by early TKO.
vs.
Ana María Torres for the Mexican Bantamweight belt
On June 26, 2002 at Salon 21 in Polanco, México,
2,000 fans saw
a ten-round showdown between Mariana and
Ana María Torres of México City, México for the vacant Mexican Bantamweight
title. In a hard-fought bout Torres stayed unbeaten and advanced to
6-0-1 (3 KO)
with a close ten-round unanimous decision over Mariana.
Mariana has Elena Reid on the ropes in Phoenix
© Copyrighted photo taken by Dale Hausner
On June 28, 2003 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, Mariana (113½
lbs) fought local favorite Elena "Baby Doll" Reid (116 lbs) to a majority
draw on a card televised by Fox Sports Net. After a feeling out round in
which Juárez was
warned for holding Reid behind the head while hitting, Juárez began to take the action to Reid harder in the second,
although Reid got busier as the round went on. Juárez kept coming forward with Reid using more lateral movement in the
third, Reid looping her punches while Juárez more often came straight through the middle. Juárez roughed Reid up against
the ropes in the fourth and appeared to have her in trouble but she didn't press her advantage hard enough in the fifth.
Reid picked up her pace and was more aggressive in the sixth but Juárez met her blow for blow (and did just enough to win
the fight in my view).
The judges' decision (57-57,57-57, and 58-56 Juárez) drew some boos from the
crowd, who had lustily cheered both fighters, both of whom took hard shots
throughout the fight and were dazed by the other's blows at times.
Both boxers felt they had won this fight. "I felt I beat her," said Reid. "I’d love to fight
her again." For Juárez, the televised fight was a stepping-stone to greater recognition in the USA.
"Everywhere she goes people say they saw that fight," said Lira, "She gained a lot of exposure from that fight."
In July 2003 Juarez was named WBAN's "Fighter of the
Month".
"We must have upset her in her hometown, because she's been dreaming of a rematch to this day, and
she's talked about a rematch," Juárez said to WBAN. "Well, we beat her, but they gave us a draw
because we were in her turf, but now we've adjusted, and Ben and I work together much better.
Now we think with one head, both in my corner and when I'm fighting, so if we go to her hometown
they couldn't do that again, we would make sure there's no doubt."
On September 18, 2003 at Santa Ana Stadium, Santa Ana, California, USA,
Mariana (116 lbs) won a four-round
unanimous (40-36,39-37,39-37) decision over unranked Lorri Aguilera (114 lbs) of Lake Arrowhead, California.
Juárez is now 10-3-3 (6 KO) while Aguilera falls to
0-1-1 (0 KO). Aguilera was the recipient of accurate combinations from the stylish Juárez
throughout the bout.
On October 7, 2003 at Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California,
a crowd estimated at 1500 saw
Mariana win a five-round unanimous (48-45,48-45,49-45)
decision over unranked Yvonne Chavez of Albuquerque, New México. Juárez controlled most of the action with
accurate punches and combinations including multiple straight rights that snapped Chavez's head back. Chavez had plenty
of heart and tried to take the fight to Juárez, only to be met with crisp counters by the patient and skilful Mexican.
Using stiff left jabs the México City native pummeled the New México boxer, but she never gave up.
Both boxers went to the canvas during the bout, Juárez when she was caught off-balance in the second round and Chavez in
the third round from a four-punch combination that ended with a clean hard right. The crowd appreciated the action-
packed fight so much that promoter Dan Goossen gave both boxers a $250 bonus. "I didn't do what I wanted but I was
prepared for any kind of fight," said Juárez, adding that she would like the rematch
she had been promised with
Elena Reid. Former kickboxing champion
Chavez dropped to 1-2-0 (1 KO) as
a pro boxer
[Fight Report by Ralph
Gonzalez].
On April 20, 2004 at Dodge Arena in Hildago, Texas on a Golden Boy Promotions card
shown on Telefutura,
Mariana (113½ lbs) TKO'd Yvonne Chavez (113½ lbs) in a rematch of their October 2003 bout.
After a head-butt in the first round closed her
eye, Chavez was unable to see most of Juárez's punches and the fight was stopped
by her corner at 1:05 in the fourth round.
Juárez then tried to line up a fight with Mexican Junior Flyweight champion
Delia Lopez, reportedly signing a contract with the Mexican promoters, only
to have Lopez decline the matchup. A second match with Korean bantamweight Kwang
Ok Kim also fell through. "They must have taken a look at her record,”
Juárez's
trainer Ben Lira told
David Avila of MaxBoxing.com. A breakthrough finally came when the IFBA named
Mariana the #1 contender for its vacant Junior Bantamweight title ... and
sanctioned a title bout in Korea with former IFBA Flyweight champion In-young
Lee, who was making her return to the ring after an eleven-month absence.
On November 14, 2004 in Yongin, South Korea, Mariana won a ten-round split
decision over local favorite In-young Lee to capture the
IFBA Junior Bantamweight title. Juárez dominated the early rounds with her jabs,
and switched to landing left hooks in the later rounds when Lee became more
aggressive in an attempt to rescue the decision. Judge Suk Kwon Kim scored
the fight 96-95 for Lee, while Judge Dong Ok Lee scored it 96-95 and Judge Nam
Chul Park 97-95 for Juárez. "We’d heard that
Lee is a tough girl and likes to use her strength,” said trainer Lira,
adding that “Mariana likes to fight girls like that, it's her style.”
Lee fell to 8-1 (3 KOs) with the loss while Juárez improved her record to 13-3-3
(7 KO).
Mariana was named WBAN's Boxer of the Month for December 2004.
On February 25, 2005 at Las Trancas Banquet Hall in Maywood, California, Mariana
easily dispatched Carla (Shakurah) Witherspoon of Philadelphia by a TKO at 1:41
in the second round. Witherspoon who is well-known for fighting defensively
opened the bout showing some quick jabs and ring movement, but Juárez quickly
forced her into a toe-to-toe battle which she then dominated by walking past
Witherspoon's punches to score with stiff combinations to her head and body.
"Our plan all along was to force the issue," said Mariana's trainer Ben
Lira, "Carla has too much experience to allow her to do what she wants." Juárez
improved her record to 14-3-3 (8 KO) while Witherspoon fell to 11-39-1 (4 KOs).
"I was careful with her because I didn't want to get a head butt when she was
holding," said Juárez, who is scheduled to defend her IFBA Junior
Bantamweight belt in China in March, 2005. "I know I have to defend my title
so I didn't want to get injured." She added that "I was so happy to fight
in front of my fans, it was a nice feeling."
On March 12, 2005 at the Marconi Museum of Exotic Cars in Tustin, California,
Mariana stepped in at the last moment to fight an exhibition bout with NABC
Ladies' Super Featherweight champion Kristy Follmar
of Indianapolis, Indiana. Kristy had been expecting to fight Lisa Lewis in
this charity event, but Lewis weighed in seven pounds over and Juárez agreed to
step in as a last-minute substitute. Juarez had been sparring eight rounds
earlier in the day at Maywood Boxing Club and was asked to be an alternate in
case Lewis pulled out. According to WBAN correspondent David Avila at ringside,
"In the first round Juárez and Follmar traded jabs and matched wits with
expertise rarely seen. Punch for punch, block for block, the two title-holders
exchanged cautiously unable to exploit openings in the first round. In the next
three rounds the tempo increased with Follmar firing more combinations and
moving in and out. Juárez always pressed forward blocking with one hand then
hitting back with that same hand. Her right hand found the mark. Follmar used
her quick jab to score from the outside, then jumped in occasionally with three
punch combinations. Juárez picked off punches and countered to the body or head,
whatever was open."
“It was great to fight someone like her", said Follmar, "it wasn’t
like my other fights were girls just come in brawling, she was fun to fight."
Juárez also complimented Follmar saying "she has good technique, her hand
speed was pretty good.” Juárez was scheduled to defend her 115-pound
title in China at the end of the month, and her team said that the exhibition
was good preparation for her. Because it was an exhibition the fight was not
scored.
On March 30, 2005 at Sunrise International Ballroom in Shenyang, China, Mariana
lost the IFBA Junior Bantamweight title to North Korea's Myong Ok Ryu by a
tenth-round TKO. Ryu and Juárez did battle for ten rounds with Ryu going to the
canvas in the early going but coming back to close the right eye of Juárez in
the seventh. The bout was stopped with just 30 seconds to go in the tenth, after
Ryu had caught Juarez against the ropes, but many reports said that the
stoppage, especially coming so late in the fight, was questionable. Juárez fell
to 14-4-3 (8 KO) with this loss while Ryu improved to a claimed 6-0, of which I
can verify a 2-0 (2 KO) record in fights reported to WBAN).
On July 28, 2007 at Sky City
Casino in Acoma, New Mexico,
Monica Lovato (116 lbs) of Espanola, New Mexico, won a 10-round split (96-94,93-97,98-92)
decision over Mariana
(111 lbs) for the IBA world bantamweight title.
According
to Chris Cozzone of NewMexicoBoxing.com, "Juarez established an
early lead in the first rounds. Lovato, usually a slow starter, proved otherwise
this time around, although a successful counter-punching aggression did not fall
into place until round three. In the meantime, Juarez’s straight-forward
aggression and heat-seeking missile of a straight right hand found its mark
enough times to warrant the first two stanzas. Lovato had her figured out in the
third, however, and the fight turned into a series of heated exchanges of the
mauling, brawling variety. Lovato rough-handled Juarez, neutralizing her right
hand and matching the Mexican’s straight-forward movement, in the third. In
round four, the Espanola southpaw started to find a home for her big left hands.
The fifth was close, Juarez’s relentless aggression an even match for Lovato’s
rapid counter-punching combinations that, more often than not, took place
against the ropes. ... By round six, Lovato ... had control of the round and was
increasingly moving forward with aggression rather than wait to counter Juarez,
who was unable to land that right with the success she had in the early rounds.
Still aggressive, but somewhat neutralized, Juarez lost both battles—the inside
exchanges and mauling, plus the outside jabbing with Lovato’s big left hands—to
the Espanolan. Juarez’s frustration was evident in the eighth when she
resorted to a foul here and there, but the blazing exchanges started to turn the
fight back around. Lovato took a breather in the ninth while Juarez loaded
up on left hooks, taking the round, but in the final chapter, despite a ruthless
attempt to close the show, Lovato finished strong, matching Juarez’s pressure
with clean left hands and superior footwork."
Juarez fell to 14-5-3 (8 KOs) while Lovato improved her record to 11-1-0 (4
KOs).
 "She’s a very good fighter," said
Mia St. John, who often spars with Juárez although
she's about 20 lbs heavier than Mariana. "We have good sparring together. She’s very tough."
Juárez trains hard and fights hard, always busily on the attack with a bob and
weave style that has been more effective in each fight. Still, she says
she is trying to learn a different style of fighting to please
US audiences. "People in México like (to see me) going toe to toe, moving forward," says Juárez,
"(but) here it's
been the opposite. They've seen my boxing style and tell me they like it better,
they like to see
more boxing."
"Boxing is the most important thing for me, I love the feel of the gloves,
the adrenaline rush, it is indescribable, and I want to stay in boxing",
says Juárez.
Other Mariana Juárez links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records Member Site
Page last updated:
Friday April 11, 2008 |
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