RESOLVE IS JUAREZ'S TRADEMARK FEATHERWEIGHT TO FACE BARRERA AGAIN.Byline: ROBERT MORALES Staff Writer Ray Ontiveros smiled, then laid it all out for a reporter who wanted to know about the tremendous resolve of Rocky Juarez Ricardo Rocky Juarez (born April 15, 1980 in Houston, Texas) is a professional Mexican-American boxer. Juarez has a current professional record of 25 wins, 3 losses, no draws, with 18 wins coming by way of knockout. . Ontiveros began training Juarez at age 13 in Houston and has been Juarez's only trainer for 13 years. ``When he started training, he was the guy who was always the first one in the gym and the last one to go out,'' Ontiveros said of Juarez, who Saturday at MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. Grand in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. will fight Marco Antonio Barrera Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974 in Mexico City) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former world champion at WBO Super Bantamweight (122 lb), IBO / WBC Featherweight (126 lb), WBC Super Featherweight (130 lb) and IBF Junior Lightweight (130 lb) divisions. in a rematch of their May 20 super- featherweight title fight at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy pay-per-view will televise tel·e·vise tr. & intr.v. tel·e·vised, tel·e·vis·ing, tel·e·vis·es To broadcast or be broadcast by television. [Back-formation from television. . ``He worked hard,'' Ontiveros said. ``He never had a childhood. He was sevendays in the gym. He didn't even graduate because we were in the gym. He didn't go to any parties because we were in the gym. ``And that's what gave it to him. He was determined to do something with his life.'' Juarez, 26, took it hard but got past losing in the featherweight gold- medal bout at the 2000 Olympics to become a world-class pro. On his way to a world-title shot, he was upset by Humberto Soto This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. in August 2005. He bounced back against Barrera at Staples Center. Barrera controlled the first half of the fight, and it appeared he might blow out Juarez. But Juarez came back and dominated the second half of the bout, only to lose a narrow split decision. Initially, the fight was announced as a draw but changed to a split decision victory for Barrera about 25 minutes later when a scoring error was discovered. For some, it might have been time for an emotional roadblock to pop up on the mind's screen. Not for Juarez. ``When they announced a draw, we accepted it, saying, `Hey, it was here in Los Angeles, we accept that,''' Ontiveros said. ``When they came back and said that no, he had lost by a point, it devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. him. ``But he rebounded. Like I told Rocky, `You can't look back. Let's go forward.''' Juarez (25-2, 18 KOs) was encouraged to start boxing as a teen by his grandfather, Pedro Juarez Sr., who is 94 and will be attending Saturday's fight. Juarez said his grandfather fought for as little as 25 cents while living in Mexico. ``I just think it runs in the blood,'' Juarez said of his determination. ``I'm like a fighter who is so dedicated to something that he just hates to lose and the harder he trains, the better odds he has of winning. ``I have always been that type of fighter where I imagine my opponent and how hard he is training, and that motivates me to train that much harder.'' Because of the controversy regarding the decision in the first fight, there is no love lost between the respective camps. Yet, even Barrera and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya Oscar de la Hoya (IPA pronunciation: [ˈɑs.kɛɹ dɛ.lɑ.ˈhɔɪ.jɑ][1]) (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy of Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is a boxing promotional firm started by former world champion in six weight divisions, Oscar de la Hoya, whose nickname is The Golden Boy. Superstars Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley have also joined the firm. , can't help but praise the desire of Juarez. Barrera saw it first-hand when Juarez failed to fold after the first sixrounds of their first fight. ``Definitely, he has that hunger to want to strive, to want to succeed, not give up,'' Barrera said. ``As the rounds wore on, you could see his hunger, his determination.'' It must have been particularly painful for De La Hoya to be asked to assess Juarez. Juarez has been saying that Barrera was fortunate to come away with a victory in their first fight, and did so only because the fight took place in the backyard of Golden Boy Promotions, which is located in downtown L.A. Still, De La Hoya couldn't help but dole out kudos to Juarez. ``He is a strong, solid fighter with great talents,'' said De La Hoya, who wasn't smiling. ``Winning the silver medal in the Olympics, that takes a lot.'' The only thing Juarez hasn't done is win a major world title as a pro. But with his backbone, it's only a matter of time. Could be Saturday. If it is, Juarez knows what he will do when he is announced as the new World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council was initially created 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 super-featherweight champion of the world. ``The first thing I will definitely do is give it (the belt) to my grandfather,'' Juarez said. ``He is 94, but he will be there.'' Just like a Juarez. robert.morales@presstelegram.com (562) 499-1338 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) JUAREZ (2 -- color) Rocky Juarez, left, takes a punch from Marco Antonio Barrera during their fight in May at Staples Center. Barrera won. Robyn Beck/Getty Images |
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