From street fighting to the Olympic ring: Texas-native Jennifer Lozanos story of triumph.
USA Boxing
Jennifer Lozano is a fighter.
As a child, she fought off bullies who targeted her for being overweight.
Credit:USA Boxing
When she was a teenager, she fought to overcome the tragic loss of her grandmother.
Fighting Stereotypes
Lozano grew up in the border town ofLaredo, Texas.
She said the bullying started in elementary school.
Credit:USA Boxing
Kids would wait for her on the walk home, trip her and beat her.
To defend herself, the nine-year-old signed up for boxing lessons at the local gym.
She started losing weight, gaining confidence and discovered a deep love of the sport.
Credit:USA Boxing
But when she asked about competing, she faced another gut punch.
[He said] I was still overweight and that I wasn’t going to make it.
Lozano tried other sports such as basketball and soccer, but nothing compared to boxing.
Her mom recognized this and helped her daughter find a new gym.
At age 11, Lozano began training at theBoxing Pride Fitnessgym with coach Eddie Vela and his wife Michelle.
They didn’t want to come out with like bloody noses, bruised eyes, nothing like that.
She returned the following year to reclaim that title.
In 2018, Lozano clinched first place at the National Golden Gloves andonce againrepeated the victory the next year.
The two would spend Saturday nights watching female boxing pioneer, Jackie Nava, fight on the Azteca Channel.
Lozanos grandmother nicknamed her ‘La Traviesa’ which translates in English to ‘The Troublemaker’.
I was a big-time troublemaker, especially whenever she took care of me.
My grandma was everything to me.
She taught me and raised me to be who I am today.
In 2019, Lozano received another devastating blow.
The tragedy sent the 17-year-old into a tailspin.
Her grief and anger spilled over into her training, her schooling and she pushed away family and friends.
That same year, Lozano lost a fight at the USA Womens Youth National Championship.
She told theLA Timesthat the painful loss suddenly changed her mindset.
Thats when I started to see things as they are and I got my act together.
Through her strength and resilience, Lozano bounced back and captured 11 straight wins.
It’s like my peace, she explained.
It’s where I’m the happiest.
And although spectators may view boxing as an intense and brutal sport, Lozano said its quite the opposite.
As violent as it may seem from the outsideto meits like an art, said the left-handed boxer.
To me, it’s beautiful.
It’s like dancing.
I’m not on my phone, I don’t talk to nobody.
Im just getting myself mentally ready, telling myself that nobody’s gonna outwork me.
The triumph also made Lozano the first female Olympian to hail from her hometown of Laredo.
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