Lizzy Tavarez, was born June 3, 1978, from Mexican immigrants and the eldest of four children. Lizzy grew up a very timid and insecure child. Partly because she started school not speaking any English, and she was always small for her age. The combination of those two factors, more than like made her a target for bullies. Lizzy dreaded going to school until she got into the sixth grade.

Lizzy told WBAN, “In sixth grade I was introduced to the biggest woman I had ever seen. She became my teacher for that year. I soon came to the conclusion that the reason she was so big was that her heart was so enormous that a huge body was necessary to encapsulate it. She believed in me. She did not allow me to sit in the back of the classroom where I would make myself invisible. She moved me to the front row. She made me participate. For the first time I looked forward to going to school. I was getting good grades and gaining some confidence in my abilities.”

By the time Lizzy started high school, she joined the gymnastics program at her school. “I was not naturally talented but I had more will and determination than any of the girls on the team. Everyday I was the first one suited out on the floor. After practice, I would hop on the athletic bus and when I would arrive home, I would continue with my stretching and strength exercises. I would do jackknives, dips, handstands, handstand pushup, L-holds, hollow holds, etc. After following my coach’s nutritional advice and trying hard six times a week I was no longer the skinny little kid. I started looking like a gymnast. I had developed shoulders, a strong back and powerful legs,” added Lizzy.

When Lizzy graduated, she began weight training and in college, she signed up for a boxing techniques class---she loved it. She had always been a boxing fan but knew that very few women actually were successful in the sport. The coach then invited her to his gym to train but at that time her workload was too much. Lizzy said, “ I was really flattered that a boxing coach thought I had something to offer to the sport.”

After finishing her studies at the university, she became a Spanish teacher and decided to find a boxing gym to train--she wanted to learn more. Lizzy ended up at a Boys and Girls Club. She was the only female and the coach there completely ignored her because he was training two boxers that had gone pro. “I didn’t care,” said Lizzy.

Lizzy would work the bag to the best of her abilities, and she started buying books to get some instruction. Lizzy said, “I wanted someone to give me some feedback but no one did the honors. Then I met my coach, Rudy Rodriquez. He would train boxing at that gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I didn’t ask him to be my coach, he just was. When that place closed down, I followed him to a Tai Kwon do studio where he did his kickboxing. Then the kickboxing fights started coming, so I had to learn to kick.”

Lizzy will come into professional boxing, without the benefit of amateur boxing beforehand. She is planning to make her pro debut on August 17, 2007.

Lizzy told WBAN, “I am not planning to fight amateur boxing. Since I first started training six years ago.  I wanted to box, but I had a coach that was working with kickboxers so fights started coming up and ask if I wanted to kickbox. I decided to try it anyway. I started training as a boxer first. I feel much more comfortable with my hands. I am twenty nine years old. I have a 21 month old baby and want to give a shot to boxing professionally.”