Jennifer Lozano is proud to bear the nickname “La Traviesa,” which means “the mischievous woman” in English, a name her grandmother gave her not only because of her aggressive and courageous boxing style, but also because of the pranks she would get up to as a child.
She has used the nickname in honor of her late grandmother since the start of her boxing career and will also use it as a member of the U.S. Olympic boxing team in Paris this summer.
“Even after she passed away, I carried that nickname with so much pride and honor because she gave it to me,” Lozano said of her grandmother, Virginia Sanchez Cuevas.
The 21-year-old fighter earned her ticket to Paris 2024 in October with a silver medal in the 50 kg (110 lbs) at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Lozano, who grew up in Laredo, Texas, is the first female Olympic fighter in any sport from her hometown near the Mexican border. She hopes her Olympic qualification gives hope to many people in Laredo and across Mexico that people from small places can achieve big things.
US boxer Jennifer Lozano reacts as the referee raises her arm to signal that she has won the bout and qualified for the Paris Olympics.
(Dolores Ochoa/The Associated Press)
After facing Canada's Mackenzie Wright in the Pan American semifinals, Lozano jumped up and cried, knowing she had overcome the many obstacles and cultural stereotypes she had encountered in the development of her boxing career. The win was a reward for the girl who continued to pursue her dream despite many telling her she was crazy to become a boxer. After hearing the bell that ended her bout with Wright, Lozano immediately raised her hand, confident that she had qualified for the Olympics, and pointed to the sky in memory of her grandmother, who passed away in 2017.
“I was so moved that to this day I can't put it into words. I knew this was going to make a huge difference not only for the city but for future generations of boys and girls from Laredo who have this mentality, this mentality, that if you're born in Laredo, you die in Laredo,” Lozano said. She initially took up boxing to lose weight but gradually realized she could stand out in tournaments. She tried other sports like soccer, basketball and track and field, but nothing excited her as much as boxing.
Under the tutelage of Michelle and Eddie Vera, owners and coaches of Laredo's Boxing Pride Gym, Lozano has become a rising star in U.S. boxing.
From 2015 to 2019, she was a U.S. Junior Olympic and U.S. Golden Gloves champion. She also won the 50kg weight class at the 2023 Gee Bee International Tournament and won gold medals at the 2022 USA Boxing Elite National Championships and the 2022 USA Boxing International Invitational Tournament.
“It's been such a long journey,” Bella, who has been her coach since she was 11, said when asked about her Olympic qualification. “We've worked so hard for so many years. It gives me chills just thinking about it. To finally see her qualify, it's an unbelievable feeling.”
Boxing Pride Gym taught Lozano the fundamentals of boxing, and when she began beating 16- and 17-year-olds at just 11 years old, her trainer realized “La Traviesa” could do great things. The gym became her home, and she would stay for hours to train with Vera, forming a special relationship.
“We just take one look at each other and we know, 'I get it, I know what you're saying, I know what you're thinking'. We're so close, a lot of people don't believe that. We always told each other everything. I trust him a lot,” the left-handed boxer said.
Lozano, the daughter of Ruben Lozano and Yadira Rodriguez from Tamaulipas, Mexico, earned her associate's degree from LBJ High School's Innovative Biotechnology and Science Academy in 2021 in between her boxing training.
The biggest blow to Lozano's life came at age 17, when she discovered her grandmother dead in their home in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, an event that she feels put her in a “hole that she couldn't get out of.”
According to the boxer, her grandmother was shot to death in her neighborhood. Members of organized crime, searching for someone, shot up her grandmother's house, fatally wounding her. After not hearing from her for days, Lozano and her mother decided to visit her grandmother in Nuevo Laredo. Upon arriving at the house, Lozano broke down the door and discovered her grandmother's body.
Jennifer Lozano, left, stands next to her grandmother, Virginia Sanchez Cuevas, who was killed in a shooting in 2017.
(Jennifer Lozano)
“I saw her body on the floor and it wasn't good,” Lozano said. “… I don't know. My mom and I never talked about it, but yeah, that's what happened.”
Lozano said she felt strong feelings of anger, depression and anxiety after her grandmother's death, had trouble concentrating at school and would shake with anger in the gym.
“I was so angry, I wanted to keep fighting. I should have fought four rounds, but I ended up fighting eight or 12 rounds non-stop,” Lozano said. “I was so bitter, I had no focus, nothing, and it was so hard to get out of the hole I was in. It was a very dark place.”
Eventually, the fight changed her focus.
In 2019, Lozano lost to Alyssa Mendoza at the U.S. Girls Youth Championship, after one punch in particular left her shaken.
“I think his jab hurt her nose,” Vera said, reflecting on the painful but crucial defeat, “and that's when she knew she had to come back and keep working hard, which is what it took to get to where she is now.”
“That's when I started to see things for what they were and corrected my behavior,” said Lozano, who realized she shouldn't be depressed after the loss.
U.S. boxer Jennifer Lozano holds up her medal after winning the Pan American Games in October 2023.
(Martin Mejia/The Associated Press)
Lozano knew she had to focus on her own mental health and make a change. She thought about all the people in her city who had been through hard times. And most of all, she remembered the encouraging words her grandmother had spoken to her.
“She told me I would achieve great things, that she loved me very much, and that I should never forget her,” said Lozano, who remembers watching her grandmother fight with Jackie Nava and the flautas she made for her.
“She told me, 'Miha, you know you can be great. If you keep working hard, it will be worth it.'”
Following his 2019 loss, Lozano reeled off an 11-fight winning streak in amateur boxing.
“What I've learned is that you have to be grateful for the person in front of you because you literally never know if it's going to be the last time you see that person,” she said.
USA Boxing has also supported her mental recovery, as was the case with Southern California boxer Jahjaira Gonzalez, who struggled with her mental health before qualifying for Paris 2024.
“Lozano is a great athlete. She has a difficult childhood and issues that come with it. She's focused and has played good matches,” USA Boxing head coach Billy Walsh said. “She stood her ground and didn't let her emotions get the better of her. She's very strong and has fought under the toughest pressure and the most stress.”
Lozano has helped other teammates, especially fellow Olympian Gonzalez, become mentally stronger.
“She's like my little sister. She encourages me and I like her just as much,” Gonzalez said. “She has such a strong mind. I want to be as strong as her.”
Lozano said she hopes that by competing in the Olympics, she can change the prejudice against people from South Laredo.
“There's a bad saying that if you're from Laredo you never progress. If you're born in Laredo you die in Laredo,” said Lozano, who is inspired by her sister, Jessica, who also moved to San Antonio to continue her education.
“I'm here not only to inspire and motivate people, but to make a difference not just for my city, but for Hispanics, Latinos, Mexicans and Latin America in general. I want to inspire the world.”
This article First published in Spanish From LA Times en Español.
