Rocky Juarez
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Rocky Juarez (born April 15, 1980 in Houston, Texas
) is a professional Mexican-American boxer
. Juarez has a current professional record of 28 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with 19 wins coming by way of knockout.
, and Joe Morales. Juarez's 10th round knockout of Antonio Diaz was named Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 2003. His first challenge came from 1996 Olympian Zahir Raheem
on July 17, 2004, in which he won by controversial decision, possibly due the fight taking place at Juarez's hometown in Houston, Texas. Juarez's first career loss came to Humberto Soto
, who was a late sub replacement to In Jin Chi
, Soto outboxed Juarez in the whole fight to win the Interim version of the WBC
featherweight title. Juarez bounced back with back-to-back wins against Reynaldo Hurtado and Backlin Medrano and earned a shot against Mexican
legend, Marco Antonio Barrera
for his WBC Super featherweight title.
Juarez fought Barrera on May 20, 2006 in the Staples Center
in Los Angeles, California
. Barrera used his jab to win the early rounds, but it was obvious from the start that Juarez wasn't backing down hurting Barrera's nose in the process. During the second half of the fight Juarez took control by rocking Barrera and making him spit out his mouthpiece several times. In a very close fight, the bout was announced originally as a draw, but later it was revealed that two of the judges scorecards had an error, as Barrera was granted the win by split decision. Despite losing Juarez gained notoriety by standing toe to toe with one of the best pound-for-pound
boxers in the world. Although not required by contract, Barrera and Juarez met in a rematch on September 16, this time Barrera winning comfortably on points through a unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113, 115-113).
As a replacement for Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
, Rocky Juarez stepped in and fought Juan Manuel Márquez
for the WBC Super Featherweight title on November 3, 2007. He lost to Marquez on a unanimous decision. Juarez fought most of the fight with a bad cut above his left eye due to an accidental headbutt in the first round.
On September 6, 2008, Rocky Juarez, (27-4, 19 KO's) won by TKO
at 2:55 in the 11th round of the 12-rounder over former WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
, (47-3-1, 34 KO's).
In his fourth attempt at a title, Juarez fought Chris John
to a controversial draw on February 28, 2009 in his hometown of Houston. Most ringside observers thought John won. The two were supposed to fight a rematch on June 27 of that year but John withdrew from the fight due to problems with his blood tests. The rematch finally took place on September 19 and the fight was won by John.
Rocky Juarez fought Jason Litzau
on April 3, 2010, losing by a controversial technical decision when the fight was halted in the seventh round due to a cut on Litzau's cheek which referee Jay Nady ruled was caused by an accidental head butt. The judges scored it 68-65 and 67-66 twice, in favour of the winner, Jason Litzau.
and a Junior Olympic World and National gold medal. In 1999 he won the world title at the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
in his home town. During the 2000 Olympics Gold medal round, Juarez loss controversially against Bekzat Sattarkhanov
who was warned several times for holding and not penalized. It should be also noted that by the end of the second round Juarez was losing 11 points and had only 4 points to lose the match by RSC. Juarez accepted the silver medal.
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
) is a professional Mexican-American boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Juarez has a current professional record of 28 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with 19 wins coming by way of knockout.
Professional career
Juarez turned pro on January 25, 2001 with a unanimous decision against Pascali Adorno. A highly touted prospect, Juarez rose up the ranks with wins against Hector VelazquezHéctor Velázquez
Héctor Velázquez , is a Mexican boxer. He fights in the featherweight division.-Career:Velázquez began his professional career on 16 December 1993, beating fellow debutant José Guardado.-External links:...
, and Joe Morales. Juarez's 10th round knockout of Antonio Diaz was named Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 2003. His first challenge came from 1996 Olympian Zahir Raheem
Zahir Raheem
Zahir Raheem is an American boxer. Known as "Z-Man", his current professional record stands at 30 wins, 3 losses with 17 knockouts....
on July 17, 2004, in which he won by controversial decision, possibly due the fight taking place at Juarez's hometown in Houston, Texas. Juarez's first career loss came to Humberto Soto
Humberto Soto
Armando Humberto Soto Ochoa is a Mexican professional boxer in the Lightweight division. He is a former WBC Interim Featherweight, WBC Super Featherweight, and WBC Lightweight champion.-Pro career:...
, who was a late sub replacement to In Jin Chi
In Jin Chi
Chi In-jin is a South Korean former boxer in the featherweight division. He is a former World Boxing Council featherweight champion.- Boxing :...
, Soto outboxed Juarez in the whole fight to win the Interim version of the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
featherweight title. Juarez bounced back with back-to-back wins against Reynaldo Hurtado and Backlin Medrano and earned a shot against Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
legend, Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...
for his WBC Super featherweight title.
Juarez fought Barrera on May 20, 2006 in the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Barrera used his jab to win the early rounds, but it was obvious from the start that Juarez wasn't backing down hurting Barrera's nose in the process. During the second half of the fight Juarez took control by rocking Barrera and making him spit out his mouthpiece several times. In a very close fight, the bout was announced originally as a draw, but later it was revealed that two of the judges scorecards had an error, as Barrera was granted the win by split decision. Despite losing Juarez gained notoriety by standing toe to toe with one of the best pound-for-pound
Pound for pound
Pound for pound is a term to describe how any two things compare when bearing in mind their varying quantities; for example, a tin of tomatoes weighing 250 g and costing $2.50 is more expensive, pound for pound, than one weighing 500 g and costing $4 .It is used in combat sports such as boxing or...
boxers in the world. Although not required by contract, Barrera and Juarez met in a rematch on September 16, this time Barrera winning comfortably on points through a unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113, 115-113).
As a replacement for Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
Jorge Rodrigo "La Hiena " Barrios is a professional boxer in the junior lightweight division. His record is 47-3-1 . He is a former WBO world junior-lightweight champion....
, Rocky Juarez stepped in and fought Juan Manuel Márquez
Juan Manuel Márquez
Juan Manuel Márquez Méndez , is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the fourth Mexican-born boxer to become a three-division world champion, where he won eight world titles in three different boxing weight classes.Currently, Marquez is the WBA Super, WBO and The Ring lightweight champion...
for the WBC Super Featherweight title on November 3, 2007. He lost to Marquez on a unanimous decision. Juarez fought most of the fight with a bad cut above his left eye due to an accidental headbutt in the first round.
On September 6, 2008, Rocky Juarez, (27-4, 19 KO's) won by TKO
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
at 2:55 in the 11th round of the 12-rounder over former WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
Jorge Rodrigo Barrios
Jorge Rodrigo "La Hiena " Barrios is a professional boxer in the junior lightweight division. His record is 47-3-1 . He is a former WBO world junior-lightweight champion....
, (47-3-1, 34 KO's).
In his fourth attempt at a title, Juarez fought Chris John
Chris John (boxer)
Yohannes Christian John is an Indonesian professional boxer, and the current WBA featherweight champion....
to a controversial draw on February 28, 2009 in his hometown of Houston. Most ringside observers thought John won. The two were supposed to fight a rematch on June 27 of that year but John withdrew from the fight due to problems with his blood tests. The rematch finally took place on September 19 and the fight was won by John.
Rocky Juarez fought Jason Litzau
Jason Litzau
Jason John Litzau is an American professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division and former North American Boxing Federation Super Featherweight Champion.-Early life:...
on April 3, 2010, losing by a controversial technical decision when the fight was halted in the seventh round due to a cut on Litzau's cheek which referee Jay Nady ruled was caused by an accidental head butt. The judges scored it 68-65 and 67-66 twice, in favour of the winner, Jason Litzau.
Amateur career
Juarez had a lustrous amateur career with a 145-17 record, which included a 68 fight winning streak, a Featherweight Olympic silver medalOlympic medalists in boxing
This is the complete list of Olympic medalists in boxing from 1904 to 2008.-Light flyweight:*1968 - : up to 48 kg.-Flyweight:*1904: up to 105 lb *1920-1936: up to 112 lb *1948-1964: up to 51 kg...
and a Junior Olympic World and National gold medal. In 1999 he won the world title at the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Houston, United States from August 15 to August 29. The tenth edition of this competition, a year before the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, was organised by the world governing body for amateur boxing AIBA.- Medal winners :-...
in his home town. During the 2000 Olympics Gold medal round, Juarez loss controversially against Bekzat Sattarkhanov
Bekzat Sattarkhanov
Bekzat Sattarkhanov was a Kazakh boxer who competed in the men's featherweight division at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal....
who was warned several times for holding and not penalized. It should be also noted that by the end of the second round Juarez was losing 11 points and had only 4 points to lose the match by RSC. Juarez accepted the silver medal.
- 1998 United States Amateur Featherweight champion. Results were:
- Defeated Daniel ChavezDaniel ChávezDaniel Chávez Castillo is a Peruvian footballer who plays as a striker for the Romanian Liga 1 club Oţelul Galaţi.- Attributes :...
points - Defeated Darling JimenezDarling JimenezDarling Jimenez is a Dominican Republic professional boxer from Yonkers, New York.-Biography:Jimenez began boxing at the age of 12. He now resides in the Washington Heights section of New York.-Amateur career:...
points - Defeated Aaron TorresAaron TorresAaron Torres is a professional boxer.Before he turned pro, Torres won the 1998 Golden Gloves in his weight class. Torres won the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. As a pro, he defeated fifteen fighters before facing the 17–4–1 Louis Santiago in a fight where lost in the 9th of 12 rounds...
points - Defeated Hong Gu points
- Defeated Daniel Chavez
- 1999 United States Amateur Featherweight champion. Results were:
- Defeated Jose Santa Cruz points
- Defeated Francisco Valentin TKO 3
- Defeated Ray MartinezRay MartinezRay Martínez is an American dance music songwriter, musician, singer from the late 1970s and 1980s, who later became a record producer, engineer, and record label owner/executive, He is well known within the industry for having helped originate what has become known worldwide as the "Miami Sound",...
points - Defeated Aaron TorresAaron TorresAaron Torres is a professional boxer.Before he turned pro, Torres won the 1998 Golden Gloves in his weight class. Torres won the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. As a pro, he defeated fifteen fighters before facing the 17–4–1 Louis Santiago in a fight where lost in the 9th of 12 rounds...
points - Defeated Steve Luevano points
- 2000 United States Amateur Featherweight champion
- Member of the 2000 U.S. OlympicSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
team as a Featherweight, winning a silver medal. Results were:- Defeated Bijan Batmani (Iran) RSC-3
- Defeated Falk HusteFalk HusteFalk Huste is a boxer from Germany, who won the bronze medal in the Men's Featherweight division at the 2000 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Tampere, Finland...
(Germany) points - Defeated Somluck KamsingSomluck KamsingSomluck Kamsing is a Thai boxer. His name is sometimes spelled as Somrak Khamsing.During the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, Kamsing lit the torch during the Games' opening ceremony. Kamsing was born in Khon Kaen...
(Thailand) RSC-4 - Defeated Kamil Dzamalutdinov (Russia) points
- Lost to Bekzat SattarkhanovBekzat SattarkhanovBekzat Sattarkhanov was a Kazakh boxer who competed in the men's featherweight division at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal....
(Kazakhstan) points