The first woman boxing match was staged in New York City between Nell Saunders and Rose Holland in 1876. This milestone began to grow slowly; in 1954, there came the first licensed woman boxer, Barbara Huttrick. Eventually, the sport started to blossom with the emergence of high profile boxers such as Cathy "Cat" Davis, Jackie Tonawanda and Marian "Lady Tiger" Trimiar. The sport, building momentum, gave way to the birth of many new faces to the ring. One such face is California native Carina Moreno. Born and raised in California, Moreno soon realized her appreciation and interest in the sport from her cousin who introduced her to the punching bag.
"I started kind of late in the field, but I have been pretty successful," Moreno told BoxingHerald.com. "I started getting serious with it when I was eighteen years old. My parents were huge fans of Hector Chavez and every time he fought, we use to watch."
Carina has been boxing for the past eight years as an amateur and as a pro. She has done most of her pro boxing in California, but her amateur bouts have been across the globe. (She has boxed in Finland and Turkey for the World Championships). In Finland she won a gold medal (2000); in Turkey (2002) she acquired a silver medal. Her accomplishments have been impressive to say the least.
Carina was always involved with sports growing up. During High School she played sports like basketball, track and cross country to name a few. At eighteen, she joined a kickboxing class which only inspired her more. The instructor of the class at one point pulled her aside and asked her if she was looking for a more intense program. She in turn joined the program with two other friends. Her instructor was an ex-boxer. He then introduced Carina to her present coach Rick Noble.
She began to train at Rick Noble's gym in Seaside, California. At first she strictly did kickboxing for a year; then she switched over to boxing.
One of her most memorable fights was against Japan's Nanako Kikuchi in May of 2007. By beating Nanako, Carina took the WBC strawweight title in ten rounds. In December of 2007 she fought another tough competitor named Emily Kelly in San Jose.
" Nanako was one of my toughest matches she just kept coming back putting up a lot of pressure," said Moreno. " Emily was different in that she would take a punch then run. Nanako was more aggressivewhere Emily was a counter-puncher."
Carina has been in many excitng matches in her short yet eventful career so far, but there is one fightershe never had the opportunity to box.
"I really wanted to fight Regina Henley before she retired," Moreno stated. " That would have been my dream fight. It was my ultimate goal. If she ever came back from retirement I would definitely want the challenge."
Men's boxing is a bit different than the female sweet science. As Carina explained, the trainingis about the same. But the format is different: women only go through two minute rounds men fight for three minutes. Also, women fight for ten rounds for world titles where for men fight for twelve rounds.
Boxing , as we all know, is a dangerous sport. Carina knows full well of the possibilities of injury, but she shruggs off the potential of danger.
"Obviously you are going to get hit in the sport," she said. "But I train to defend myself the best I can. Also, I think the refs in women boxing tend to be more cautious than with our male counterparts. They tend to end the fights quicker to avoid any real damage."
When it comes to the support of her family, it is without a doubt her kin remains her biggest fans.
"My parents along with my brothers have been there with me since the start. But as you may know Latin moms worry as usual. Yet she was very supportive. Even though in our Mexican culture it is rare to see a woman fighter."
Carina's normal training routine begins at 6am with a 3-4 mile run; she then goes into some weight-lifting and cardio in the afternoon; then at night she goes through boxing routines. It is a full plate of training. If she has a fight pending, the training normally doubles up.
Moreno's most ambitious goal since the beginning of her career was to become a world champion in three divisions (105, 108 & 112). She has already conquered the 105 division.
Carina has also given back to her hometown by attending schools as a speaker to educate children about the sport and to act as a positive role model.
"Many times I have went to speak to under-privileged children who are into a bit a trouble. I try to teach them whatever work you put into something is what you are going to get. I try to help the community."
Carina is one of the most determined women boxers on the circuit, and she will stop at nothing to reach her goals. Keep and eye and ear out for Carina Moreno as she heats up the boxing world.
