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5'4"
Marilyn Salcido (b. February 27, 1980) from Rialto, California is a teaching assistant in a Head
Start program in Ontario. Her ambitions include earning a college degree, getting married, raising a
family, and making a positive impact in her community.
She attended Eisenhower High School where she played
lower-level soccer. She began boxing as a way to stay in shape. She began
shadow boxing with her younger
brother, Dominic Jr., an aspiring amateur boxer, and soon took up his training routine.
After that, she decided she wanted to get into the ring
and mix it up herself.
"It gave me a rush," said Marilyn, "my adrenaline got going. My blood got pumping.
I got into it to work out, but I really liked it."
She was initially trained by Frank
Ramirez and managed by Larry Ramirez at the Fontana Boxing Club.
She now trains with her brother Dominic at the Kronk Big Bear Gym where Bob
Davison is head trainer.
In the 1998 US Boxing National Championships at the Salgado Community Recreation
Center in Santa Ana, California Marilyn, then 18 years old, won her preliminary bout in the 119-lb
division on May 28 with a 21-3 decision over Elisha Olivas of Denver. On
May 29, she lost a semifinal bout to Patricia Alcivar of Woodside, New York by a
23-7 tally.
In the 119-lb division of the 1999 USA Boxing National Championships on April 22, 1999, she
lost to Audrey Vela of Austin, Texas by a 17-12 score.
In the 125-lb division of the USA Boxing National Championships in
Midland, Texas in April 2000, she advanced to the final by defeating Kalina Fernandez of San Diego,
California by 20-6 and Heather Stevens of
Virginia Beach, VA by 17-8 in the semifinal. In the final, she lost to Stella Nijhof of New York
City
by a 13-2 tally. Her final amateur record was 20-7.
She made her pro debut on
July 21, 2000 at the Centennial Garden in Bakersfield, California, winning
by TKO over Kimberley Reed of Los Angeles. The fight was stopped
at the end of the second round of a scheduled four-rounder because Reed had been
cut. Salcido was the aggressor throughout the fight despite spotting Reed a significant
height advantage. Reed fell to 1-2.
On
September 23, 2000 at the Convention Center in Ontario, California, 1500 fans saw
Marilyn win a four-round unanimous (40-36) decision
over Mikee Stafford of Northridge, California
in a featherweight bout. Stafford, who had been training in the same gym as
Laila Ali, was
making her pro debut with Ali lending support from ringside.
Stafford suffered a broken hand in this fight.
On
October 14, 2000 at Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Karen Martin of Los Angeles
knocked Marilyn out in the fourth-round.
Martin knocked down Salcido in the first round and twice more in
the fourth on the way to a 2-0 record.
On
March 9, 2001 at the Hilton in Reno, Nevada,
IFBA Featherweight champion Layla McCarter of Las Vegas, Nevada
moved her pro record to
8-5-1 (2 KO's) with a dominant performance over Marilyn in a four-round bout.
On April 26, 2001 at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California, Wendy Rodriguez (112 ½ lbs) fought
Marilyn (114½ lbs) to a draw. Rodriguez moved her record to 4-1-3.
Marilyn (left) lands to Jessica Mohs
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On
May 19, 2001 at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California: Marilyn improved to 3-2-1
with a unanimous decision over Jessica Mohs of Chandler, Arizona, who fell to 1-1.
Salcido had been training at altitude at Big Bear, California because
she felt she needed more stamina and movement after losing to Karen Martin
and Layla McCarter.
On
July 14, 2001 at River Palms Casino and Hotel in Laughlin, Nevada, Marilyn
won a four-round unanimous (40-36,39-37,39-37) decision over Brandy Leon of Prescott, Arizona,
who fell to 1-3 with the loss.
My correspondent writes "Salcido won this good action bout in the eyes of the judges.
It appeared to this observer that Leon threw the heavier punches but was just too little too
late to turn the tide in her favor. Salcido was more technically sound but she does not possess the
big punch to dispatch less-skilled fighters like Leon. In all fairness to Leon she was as skilled as
most of the male club fighters on this card by BAM Promotions and River Palms Casino."
Mandy Lapointe and Marilyn look for the range
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On
August 25, 2001 at Flamingo Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, Marilyn (114¼ lbs) of
Rialto, California and 2001 Canadian national 51-kg champion Mandy Lapointe (115 lbs) from Vancouver,
B.C. (but based in Las Vegas) fought to a four-round majority draw. Salcido's
pro record
was now 4-2-2 (1 KO) and Lapointe's 0-1-1.
[Fight photos
by Mary Ann Owen]
On October 13, 2001 at Caesars in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Marilyn moved to 5-2-2 (1 KO)
with a four-round unanimous (39-37) decision over
world bantamweight Muay Thai champion Naoko Kumagai
of Japan.
"She's been there and knows how to be a champion, so I thought I did
really good," said Salcido after the bout. "I tried to work my body shots
and got some of them in and my hook and stuff. I tried to work on my
defense, and I need more work on it, but we'll get there." Salcido went toe to toe with Kumagai
in a rousing final round that sealed the bout for her. Kunagai was now 1-2
as a pro boxer.
On November 24, 2001 at Hyatt Hotel in Monterey, California, Marilyn advanced to 6-2-2 (1 KO) with a four-round unanimous (40-36,40-36,39-37) decision over Mary Duron
of Anaheim, Calfornia in a high-action 114-lb bout. Salcido wobbled Duron with an overhand right late in the fight
while dropping Duron's record to 3-2.
Marilyn Salcido works past the defense of Robin Pinto
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On
April 21, 2002 at Flamingo Hotel, Laughlin, Nevada, Marilyn (112 lbs)
advanced to 7-2-2 (1 KO)
with a four-round unanimous (40-36,40-36,39-37) decision over Robin Pinto (115 lbs) of Summerland, British Columbia, Canada,
who fell to 1-3-0 (0 KO).
Salcido landed the better scoring punches throughout four rounds of toe-to-toe action.
On
April 25, 2002 at Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California she advanced to 8-2-2 (1 KO)
with a unanimous (40-36,40-36,40-36) decision in a rematch with Mary Duron of Anaheim, California
who fell to 3-3-0 (0 KO).
On
July 3, 2002 at Hyatt Regency, Monterey, California, Yvonne Caples (110 lbs) of Las Vegas advanced to 6-3-1 (1 KO)
with a six-round unanimous (58-56,58-56,58-56) decision over Marilyn (112½ lbs). Caples jabbed and moved from her southpaw stance in the opening round while Salcido tried to find the way inside.
Caples caught Salcido with a hard left to the head in the second but Salcido came on
stronger in this round and the third. The fourth round saw good action on the inside with Salcido
becoming more aggressive but still unable to land hard leather consistently on Caples, who replied with
several telling combinations. The last two rounds saw good action from both fighters until
the final bell as Salcido continued muscling her way inside. Salcido
told WBAN's Sue TL Fox
after this fight that she felt the decision was unfair and that she had done
enough to win it.
On
August 17, 2002 at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California, Marilyn (115 lbs)
battled former IWBF world flyweight champion Para Draine (114 lbs) of Mead, Washington
to a six-round majority draw (59-55 Salcido,57-57,57-57). Inside Women's Boxing
correspondent Francisco Salazar writes that "Draine's awkward style seemed to befuddle
Salcido from the outset of the first round. However, later in the round, Salcido seemed to crack the code to score against
Draine as she began to land some shots to Draine's head. As the fight progressed, Draine seemed to make the bout more difficult
for her to fight. Taller and with a longer reach than Salcido, Draine tried to charge in and score with awkward crosses and
hooks when she might have been more successful establishing her jab. Salcido made her pay by connecting with crosses and a few
uppercuts. In the latter half of the fight, Draine began to connect a little
more with each passing round. Both traded in the final two rounds with each
landing significant telling blows over one another."
Salcido said that she felt she had won the fight. "You give it your all in
the fight and then you get this from the judges. It upsets me. Yeah, she was
hard to figure out in the beginning, but I figured her out and scored at will
against her." Draine was now 11-5-1 (2 KO)
On
October 16, 2002 at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California, Marilyn advanced to 9-3-3 (2 KO)
when she stopped Yolanda Gonzalez of Newark, New Jersey in the first round of a
box-off for the IFBA Junior Bantamweight title. Salcido trapped Gonzalez in a corner at the end of the opening
round and dropped her with a hard right. Between rounds, the referee and doctor ruled
that Gonzalez should not continue, giving Salcido the win by TKO.
Gonzalez fell to 7-6-1 (3 KO)
with the loss.
 On
December 18, 2002 at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California,
Para Draine won the
vacant IFBA Junior Bantamweight title with a ten-round split (99-91,98-92,94-96)
decision over Marilyn. Salcido began aggressively and took the fight to the more experienced and taller Draine, beating
her to the punch and outworking the older veteran. The plan was
to have Salcido be sharp in her defense and stay away from Draine’s strong right hand.
However, Draine got untracked
later in the fight, began landing precisely timed right hands and uppercuts,
and generally paced herself better to go the distance. Draine had the height,
reach and stamina to control the bout, while Salcido needed to work her way
inside to be fully effective. Draine controlled Salcido's distance well and finished
the bout looking sharp
against an obviously tiring but still aggressive Salcido. Both put on a big show in the
final round with toe-to-toe action that brought the crowd to its feet. Draine,
the former IWBF Flyweight champion, was now 13-5-1 (2 KO)
while Salcido fell to 9-4-3 (2 KO). Each fighter was guaranteed $3,000 for the
10-round fight. (See the round-by-round
report with photos by Mary Lehman).
Said Salcido
after the fight: "Para came to fight and I came to fight. I tried to stay away from her right hand. I tried to work her body. I
threw some right hooks and stepped in with my jabs. But I wasn't able to really get to her like I wanted to. I had never
gone 10 rounds before and it took a lot out of me." Salcido's trainer Bob Davison said his fighter couldn't match Para's
strength. "Marilyn did land some power shots, but she wasn't really able to hurt [her]."
Draine stated that Marilyn Salcido was "a great fighter".
Marilyn was next scheduled to fight Kelsey Jeffries in February 2003 but her
place on that card was taken by Para Draine after she sustained a hand injury.
On June 2, 2003 at Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California,
Marilyn (now 122¼ lbs) of Rialto, California won a four-round
unanimous (40-36,40-36,39-37) decision over Rosa Ponce (121¼ lbs) of Sonora, Mexico,
fighting out of San Diego. This bout was hard fought at times
with Salcido moving better, being more aggressive and landing better shots
while Ponce scored occasionally with looping rights.
"I needed this to get back in the swing of things," said Salcido, adding that
"I knew she would try to throw a lot of punches and I did my best to maintain my
composure."
Ponce, who fell to 0-2 with
the loss, was a last minute replacement as Salcido was originally supposed to fight
a rematch with Kim Reed.
Marilyn left) trading with Carla Wilcox
© Copyrighted photo taken by Carlos Puma
On
February 16, 2004 at Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, Marilyn advanced to 11-4-3 (2 KO)
with a six-round unanimous (58-56,60-54,59-55) decision over Carla Wilcox of Seattle, Washington
who fell to 4-5-0 (1 KO).
One WBAN insider reported the following: "Using a jab and firing combinations, Salcido struggled through the peek-a-boo
style of Wilcox who launched winging rights throughout the six round fight held at the Doubletree Hotel before a standing
room only crowd." Another disagreed with the decision, writing: "Six
rounds Carla kept Marilyn backing up, in the corner and against the ropes. As
they called the judges' decisions to give it to Marilyn the crowd roared with
disagreement even if this was their hometown girl they knew the real winner
tonight. What happened in Ontario tonight is shameful and gives the sport such a
bad flavor. Anyone that was in the crowd tonight or for that matter in the ring
knows Carla won this every round."
"It was difficult coming in without a fight for a long time. I didn't feel right," said Salcido,
who ended the fight marked under her eyes after a clearly tough fight. "She was awkward
and gave me a hard fight" said Salcido, "I had never seen her fight so my corner told me
to take it easy the first round to see what she has." Wilcox fired thudding right hands every time Salcido threw a punch and
some were scoring punches although many hit Salcido's
shoulders or gloves. Salcido's trainer Bob Davison advised Marilyn to
move to Wilcox's left and to fire more jabs and this allowed her to keep Wilcox
more at bay so she could fire quick combinations and get out. (See Photo Gallery #145
on the WBAN member site).
Marilyn's family support her pro boxing career
enthusiastically and she is cheered on at her fights by her parents, Dominic and Susanna, her five siblings, and numerous other relatives and friends.
She continues to train and spar with
brother Dominic Jr.,
who aspires to be a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing team. "I used to
worry about her. But not anymore. I know she can take care of herself", he
says. Neither is Salcido, who says: "A
couple of black eyes, some bruises, and few cuts here and there, none of that
really concerns me. What would concern me is if I couldn't talk right from taking
too many hits. But I'm pretty secure that I won't get hurt.'
"I don't know what the future holds for me," said Salcido, who hinted at retiring from
boxing when she turns 25. "It's a hard sport. There are a lot of sacrifices and challenges.'
Her daily schedule is
a tough one ... she normally wakes around 5 a.m. for her morning run, then
works from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. She then drives the 90 minutes or so to Big Bear and trains
until 9:00 p.m. She gets home after 10 p.m. and then starts the whole process over the next
day.
Marilyn injured her back in a car accident in the summer of 2004 and
announced her retirement from competitive boxing in February 2005, saying
“I just don’t have my heart into it any more. It
wouldn’t be wise to go into the ring when my heart’s not into it.” She is
now training boys and girls at the Colton Boxing Club, where she got her own
start. “I like working with
the kids and teaching them what I know. It’s a lot of fun and it’s rewarding",
says Salcido.
When asked to describe her own boxing style she said:
"always
moving forward, keeping the pressure on the opponent”.
She says that moving backwards was not in her repertoire, as
she felt that it sends a message that you are weak or intimidated, and she is
usually facing taller opponents who may already be confident because of her
small size. Her goal was to move forward behind her jab to set up
her favorite punch, a damaging right hook.
 Her favorite boxers are
Oscar De La Hoya and Lucia Rijker.
She knows she has a long way to get to the level of her
heroes, but knows that with her spirit and drive, it is fully
attainable.
Other Marilyn Salcido 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:
Sunday, 05 November 2017 |
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