| |
5'3" junior featherweight Jackie Chavez was born on June 1, 1983. She began her career in
combat sports as an amateur kickboxer training with Tony Rosales at the
Rosales Karate and Kickboxing Academy in Los Lunas, New Mexico, south of
Albuquerque. After winning a national kickboxing title at age 16 in a
close fight with Audrey Vela of Austin, Texas, Jackie decided to try her hand at
professional boxing.
She made her pro boxing debut on October 5, 2001 at the Sky City Casino in Acoma, New Mexico,
winning by a TKO at 0:29 in the third round over Brandy Leon of Prescott, Arizona.
Chavez pressured Leon with combinations throughout the bout and knocked her
down with a hard right before it was stopped. Leon fell to 1-5 with the loss.
Returning to the Sky City Casino on December 14, 2001, Jackie
moved her record to 2-0 (1 KO) with a four-round majority decision over Nicole Gallegos
of Albuquerque who fell to 0-2-1.
These wins persuaded Chavez to focus on her boxing and to begin training with her uncle, Ray Sanchez II,
in nearby Albuquerque.
"For one thing, Ray is family,” Jackie
told Chris Cozzone of
New Mexico Boxing. “The other reason is, Ray is more
boxing-based. My uncle’s worked with boxing all his life. Tony works with both
kickboxing and boxing. So, there’s going to be a difference. You learn
different things from different people.”
Sanchez worked on adapting Jackie's stance and teaching her to
throw a boxer's combinations. “My stance is more narrow and my legs are bent more,” said
Jackie, "plus my training has a lot more movement now. It’s more speed and
movement, and working my jab more. The strategy is not so much to be
aggressive but to stay busy and keep punching.”
Jackie Chavez (left) vs. Vangie Abeyta
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On March 23, 2002 at Pojoaque, New Mexico, Jackie (121½ lbs) moved her
record to 3-0 (1 KO) with a KO over debut fighter Vangie Abeyta of Denver, Colorado at 0:50 in the
first round. Abeyta went to the canvas twice before the stoppage.
According to Chris Cozzone: "When the bell rang for the
first, as Chavez attempted to touch gloves with her opponent, Abeyta answered
with a sneaky attack. Chavez covered up, got her bearings, and returned Abeyta’s
sloppy shots with a vengeful combination.
Almost immediately, a right hand put Abeyta down. She made the count but Jackie went in for the finish,
re-depositing Abeyta on the canvas. At just 50 seconds, Chavez was given the KO win."
On April 13, 2002 at Isleta Casino, Isleta, New Mexico, a hometown crowd saw
Jackie (124 lbs) move her record to 4-0 (3 KO) with a TKO of debut boxer Jodi
Johnson (122 lbs) from Phoenix, Arizona at 1:41 in the opening round.
Jackie Chavez (left) vs. RaquelTebo
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On August 17, 2002 at the Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo, New Mexico, Jackie (119¾ lbs)
faced a far more capable opponent and won a hard-fought four-round split
(39-37,39-37,37-39) decision over Raquel Tebo (119½ lbs) of Las
Vegas. Chavez spent the first two rounds boxing from the outside, sniping with good
combinations, but Tebo tagged her with some good counterpunches.
Chavez picked up her pace in the second but Tebo closed effectively in the third
and began to score with good
shots to Chavez's body. Chavez was still landing cleanly but Tebo came on strong
in the fourth and had her backed against
the ropes. Chavez fought back hard in an exciting and close round and came away
with the split. Chavez was now 5-0-0 (3 KO) while Tebo fell to 3-2-1.
Although
Chavez seemed set to progress to the next level as a pro boxer, she instead
took an extended time out in 2003 while enrolled in school to study physical
therapy. “I had a lot going on,”
she says, “I was trying to get it all together."
But eventually she returned to Ray Sanchez's gym and began to recondition herself.
Jackie Chavez (right) vs. Leanne Villareal
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On February 20, 2004 at the High School, Roswell, New Mexico, USA, Jackie won a
four-round unanimous (39-37,39-37,39-38) decision over
a very game debut fighter Leanne Villareal. Despite some ring rust, Chavez, who
ended the fight covered in blood from her nose, improved to 6-0 (3 KO) after
winning three of the four rounds against a tough opponent.
"I was a little nervous in that fight", Chavez told Chris Cozzone.
"I
was too cautious and should’ve been more aggressive. I could’ve landed a lot
more punches and I was standing up a lot, not following through with my punches.
Overall, I was happy with my performance, despite bleeding all over the place. I
was able to get through it and focus on the fight."
A week later, she was preparing for
her next fight by sparring with Yvonne Chavez, Holly Holm and amateur Archie Ray
Marquez.
Jackie Chavez (right) vs. Mercedes Mercury
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On April 10, 2004 in front of a near-sellout crowd of 2,200 at the Convention
Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico Jackie (124 lbs) won a controversial six-round
split decision over southpaw Mercedes Mercury (125 lbs) from Denver, Colorado.
Mercury was just 3-3, but she was also on a three-fight winning streak coming
into the fight.
The evening did not begin well for Chavez, as a misunderstanding about when the
fight was to begin left Sanchez still wrapping Chavez's hands when
they were called to the ring. Chavez
skipped her usual warm-up, entered the ring cold, then got off to a slow
start. Mercury established her right jab and used her left to catch Chavez
coming in. Chavez landed a hard overhand right just before the bell, but Mercury
controlled the opening round.
In the second, Mercury again kept Chavez at bay with her right jab, then use hard lefts to deter
her from working her way inside.
Mercury began to taunt Chavez,
but Chavez eventually broke through Mercury's defense and
started to land with both fists i the third. Chavez picked up her pace in the
fourth and tagged Mercury with solid rights. The fifth was a contest
between Chavez’s short rights and Mercury’s strong straight lefts.
Realizing that she might be in trouble, Chavez pressured Mercury hard in the
sixth but Mercury appeared to give as good as she got. Chavez advanced her to 7-0 (3 KOs) while Mercury
dropped to 3-4 (1 KO).
Jackie Chavez (right) vs. Jayla Ortiz
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On November 20, 2004 at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio, Colorado, Jackie fought the experienced
and elusive Jayla Ortiz of Santa Fe, New Mexico for the vacant IFBA World Junior Featherweight
belt, outpointing her by 96-94,96-94 and 100-90 over ten rounds.
Ortiz fell to 11-6-4 (3 KOs) with the loss.
Jackie Chavez (right) vs. Audrey Vela
© Copyrighted photo by Chris Cozzone
On June 12, 2005 at the
Ohkay Casino at San Juan Pueblo near
Española, New Mexico, Jackie defended the IFBA Junior
Featherweight title against her former kickboxing rival, Audrey Vela of Austin,
Texas. When she had fought Vela in Austin four years earlier, she felt intimidated by Vela's muscular
physique and speed ... but won a close bout, stripping
the hard-punching Vela of her title. "It was a
tough match," Jackie told the Albuquerque
Journal's Mike Hall. "Whenever we traded punches, she was schooling me. If it
had been boxing, I honestly have to say she was the better boxer than I was.
What saved me was my kickboxing skills"
With Vela challenging for
Chavez's world boxing title, the rivalry was set for Round Two! Chavez
pulled off the double over Vela in another close fight, winning by a ten-round split (97-93,97-94,93-97)
decision as Vela tired in the later rounds.
Vela appeared to be the stronger fighter at first as she used her strength to
muscle her way in and dominate Chavez in the early going. But although
Vela could outmuscle Chavez early, she lacked
something in endurance and began to tire as the fight went on.
Chavez began to make inroads as she fought back and staggered
Vela with a right in the sixth. Urged on by a partisan crowd, Chavez gained the
upper hand in the later rounds as Vela lost the smooth rhythm that she displayed early in
the fight. Vela landed several hard counters as Chavez
pressed her attack in the tenth, but Chavez came out the winner on the
score-cards after a close, difficult battle.
"I was a little disappointed in my
performance," Chavez said after the fight. "I should have stayed outside.
I needed to throw more punches."
Chavez
said she would like to take on the top two fighters in her
division: Kelsey Jeffries and
Alicia Ashley, but not right away! "I'm not ready yet for them," she said.
"But in a few fights, I hope to
be. Vela is a step toward them."
"It’s awesome to be a world champion,” says Chavez.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. A lot of girls are coming after me now,
it forces me to keep my head on straight. Before, I did this for fun, to improve my skill. Now,
it's different. There's a lot to lose."
On September 23, 2005 at Jean Pierre Sport Complex in Port of
Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Lisa Brown (121¾ lbs) of
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada used a relentless body attack to pound out a clear
ten-round unanimous (98-92,100-90,100-90) decision over Jackie for the WIBC and
WIBA Junior Featherweight titles. According to local reports, Lisa peppered
Jackie with left hooks to run up a big lead before Chavez tried to make a
comeback in the late going. Lisa Borwn, who was fighting in her
birthplace for the first time as a pro boxer, improved to 12-1-2 (4 KOs) while
Chavez suffered her first pro loss. (Jackie's IFBA Junior Featherweight title was not on the line.) Chavez prepared for the bout by sparring with Holly Holm, who had pulled off a big upset
by beating Christy Martin in Albuquerque the previous
weekend.
On January 27, 2006 at the
Palladium in Hollywood, California,
Jeri Sitzes (124 lbs) of Springfield, Missouri won
a 10-round unanimous (99-91,98-92,98-92) decision over Jackie (124½ lbs) for
the NABF World Featherweight title. Jeri Sitzes
improved to 9-6-1 (4 KOs) with the win while Jackie fell to 9-2-0 (3
KOs) with her second straight pro loss.
Lisa Brown vs. Jackie Chavez in March 2007
© Copyrighted photograph by Mary Ann Owen
On March 22, 2007 at the Isleta Casino near Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Lisa Brown (122 lbs) of Canada won the IFBA Junior Featherweight title with a 10-round unanimous
(99-91,97-93,97-94) decision over Jackie (122 lbs). Lisa's power and ring experience controlled most of the bout
while Chavez's best round was in the fifth, when she came alive with the
home crowd chanting her name throwing a barrage of sharp combos with Brown
pinned near the ropes in the closing moments. Lisa Brown improved to
13-3-3 (4 KOs).
Ada Velez and Jackie Chavez, Sept. 2007
© Copyrighted photograph by J.B.Gallegos
courtesy Fresquez Productions
On September 21, 2007 at the Santa Ana Star Casino
in Bernalillo, New Mexico, Ada Velez (122 lbs) of
Hollywood, Florida won a six-round majority
(58-56,58-56,57-57) decision over Jackie (122 lbs). Velez wasn't slowed by anything that a busy Chavez threw, but was
more effective with her own punches. Chavez's ineffective opening right
appeared to be her undoing. "I
wasn't necessarily trying to land a big right hand, but when it didn't work, I
should have been better prepared with
some combinations," said Chavez. "I got frustrated with that, and then I kind of
tensed up." Chavez implied that her future in boxing is unclear, having lost four straight decisions after starting at 9-0.
"I'll sit down and talk with my manager
(Andy Rivera)," she said.
Velez
improved her record to 15-3-2 (6 KOs) with the win, while Chavez fell to 9-4-0 (3 KOs).
Chavez works for Intel in Rio Rancho, New Mexico by day as a parts expediter,
then trains in the evenings at Sanchez's gym in Albuquerque's South Valley. She also goes to school
part-time for physical therapy and massage. She plans to return to school
full-time if she makes more money from boxing. "But that might take some
time," she says, adding that "women's boxing needs to pick up."
Page last updated:
Sunday, 10 January 2021 |
|
