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 Mexico’s Mariana Juarez: the Female Golden Boy?
By David A. Avila (April 30, 2004)
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With her unique look and slim build, Mexico’s Mariana Juarez received offers to enter the fashion world. But instead of opting to be a supermodel, she took the opposite road, where people’s faces are regularly re-arranged.
On Friday, in Hidalgo, Texas, Juarez faces Yvonne Chavez once again on a fight card that will be televised by Telefutura. The Mexican beauty will step in the ring to prove once again that her heart leans heavily toward prizefighting. Forget about her looks.
But that’s stepping ahead too fast. Why did Mexico’s Juarez, now ranked as one of the top junior bantamweights choose boxing over modeling?
One day a television crew from the United States saw Juarez in a Mexico City gym and offered her a position as a model. They offered to take her to Miami, where she would study various modeling elements, but she turned it down.
"They offered me a job as a model but I had to choose between boxing and retiring and coming here to Miami to study. They were giving me a scholarship. That left me thinking," said Juarez who grew up in Coyoacan, "a colonia" in Mexico City, with two sisters and two brothers.
"But 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."
It’s that innate sensibility that led her to the U.S. where she found a trainer that could push her abilities even further.
Today, the petite brunette with the high Aztec cheekbones and curve shaped eyes attracts fans with her magnetic presence and fiery disposition in the ring. Throughout the Southwest Juarez has stormed the junior bantamweight division like an E class tornado.
"This girl is like Oscar De La Hoya," said trainer Ben Lira, who has trained numerous fighters including amateur champion Linda Carillo. "People love her because she can really fight and she has that special thing. I can’t explain it. But she has it."
For years Juarez fought in Mexico on poorly budgeted shows against the same tough female prizefighters. Because of the scarcity of female fighters, she fought the same girls over and over.
But one day, fellow Chilango (a slang term used for a person who grew up in Mexico City) Marco Antonio Barrera saw her fight and offered to help her get established in the States. Even her Mexico City trainer Rudy Perez urged her to take the offer.
"Rudy Perez told me go over there, or you're not going to do anything in Mexico," recalled Juarez. "So Rudy sent me here. I came, and I was lucky to meet Ben and he supported me the most."
Since fighting in this country, Juarez has never lost. But she came close against number one ranked Elena "Baby Doll" Reid almost a year ago. That fight took place in Reid’s hometown and ended in a draw. Both felt they won.
"I felt I beat her," said Reid. "I’d love to fight her again."
For Juarez, because the fight was televised, it brought instant recognition from that point on.
"Everywhere she goes people say they saw that fight," said Lira, who trains Juarez in South El Monte. "She gained a lot of exposure from that fight."
It was a nip and tuck battle with Reid starting strong and Juarez adapting toward the middle of the six round-affair. In the last round Reid seemed to gain the upper hand that led to a majority draw at the Celebrity Theater.
"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," Juarez said about Reid. "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."
Once again Juarez faces Chavez who she beat handily at the Pechanga Resort and Casino last October. Using stiff left jabs the Mexico City native pummeled the New Mexico boxer, but she never gave up.
One thing is certain, it won’t be a boring affair with the busy Juarez always on the attack in that bob and weave style that has been more effective in each fight.
"She’s a very good fighter," said Mia Rosales St. John, who often spars with Juarez though five weight divisions separate them. "We have good sparring together. She’s very tough."
Each day Juarez endures an extremely rigorous training regimen that leaves her drenched in perspiration. But her recovery time is almost instant. Most of the work is breaking her habit of going to war.
"People in Mexico like that more, going toe to toe, moving forward," Juarez said dripping with perspiration after about 1,000 sit-ups. "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."
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