Juan Meza
Encyclopedia
Juan Meza also known for his nickname Kid Meza, is a former boxer
who was world Super Bantamweight champion. Meza was born in Mexicali
, Mexico.
Meza was a popular fighter among Latin America
ns, specially those of Mexican descent who lived in North America. His trainer
was the well known boxing personality, Jimmy Montoya.
Elias Rodriguez in three rounds at Tucson
.
He lost for the first time on his second bout, being beaten on points after four rounds by Valentin Holguin on October 13 in Los Angeles
. Six days later, he knocked out Davey White in Las Vegas
. Eight days later, he had a rematch with Holguin, over the extremely rare five rounds schedule distance. He avenged his first loss by outpointing Holguin.
On November 3, he scored his first knockout in the first round, defeating Horacio Pintado in Los Angeles. But, in his next fight, on November 18, he lost by a four round decision to Carlos Ortiz, in San Diego
.
Meza began rising in boxing's ranks when he knocked Ortiz out in the first round on December 16, also at San Diego. He won 29 of his next 31 bouts, earning fame, particularly in the West Coast of the United States, as aforementioned. Among those thirty one bouts, there were many highlights, including:
On March 27 of that year, Meza got his first world championship try, when he faced Gómez in Atlantic City
, for the WBC world Super Bantamweight title. Meza lost to Gómez by a sixth round knockout.
After losing to Gómez, Mesa took off one year from boxing. During this time, Gómez left the championship vacant; to challenge for the WBC's world Featherweight championship, and Jaime Garza won it by knocking out Bobby Berna for the vacant championship.
Meanwhile, Meza returned to boxing on April 26, 1983, knocking out Roberto Castillo
in four rounds at Las Vegas.
He traveled to Thailand
during July of that year, to fight Pongpan Sorphayathai on the 13th. of that month. He beat the Thai fighter by a third round knockout.
On November 19, he fought Javier Barajas in Las Vegas, beating Barajas by a ten round decision. The pair had a rematch, on May 16, 1984 in Las Vegas, and Meza won once again, by a ten round decision. After that, he was ranked as the number one Super Bantamweight challenger once again by the WBC.
On November 3, he was given a second try at the championship when he faced Garza, in Kingston, New York
. Meza became the first challenger in boxing history to be dropped in round one, get up and knock the world champion out in the same first round, when he beat Garza to become the WBC world Super Bantamweight champion that day.
On April 19, 1985 he and Julio César Chávez
co-starred in an undercard, defending their world championships against Mike Ayala
and Ruben Castillo, respectively, at the Inglewood Forum, in Inglewood, California
. Both champions retained their titles with sixth round knockout wins.
On August 18, he and Lupe Pintor
squared off in a fight that garnered major interest among Mexican boxing fans. Meza lost his title in Tijuana
that night, when Pintor dropped him twice, outpointing him over twelve rounds.
Pintor lost his title, in turn, to Samart Payakaroon
, who gave Meza a chance to recover the WBC world Super Bantamweight championship on December 10, 1986 in Bangkok. Despite not fighting for more than a year, Meza lasted until the twelfth round with Payakaroon, who proceeded to knock him out in that round.
Meza had two fights in 1987, beating Lenny Valdez in the first round by knockout, and then losing to Javier Marquez by a knockout in round eight on October 30. After his fight with Marquez, he retired for ten years.
On February 14, 1997, he returned to boxing with a knockout victory, beating Esteban Lozoya in four rounds at Mexicali. But, in his next fight, he met fringe contender Wilfredo Negron
of Puerto Rico
, being knocked out by the Puerto Rican in the first round at Miami
. Meza then retired for the second time.
He has stayed in retirement since. Because of his current age, it is doubtful he will ever box again as a professional.
His professional boxing record consisted of 45 wins and 9 losses, with 37 wins by knockout.
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...
who was world Super Bantamweight champion. Meza was born in Mexicali
Mexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...
, Mexico.
Short biography
Mesa was born Jesus Fernández. Prior to beginning his career, and for undisclosed reasons, he changed his name officially to Juan Meza.Meza was a popular fighter among Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
ns, specially those of Mexican descent who lived in North America. His trainer
Boxing training
Boxing training is the training method that boxers use in order to get more fit for their sport. This training method is often cited by medical doctors, boxing trainers, and writers as one of the most spartan forms of sports training.- Training :...
was the well known boxing personality, Jimmy Montoya.
Professional career
Juan Meza debuted on September 23, 1977, knocking outKnockout
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...
Elias Rodriguez in three rounds at Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
.
He lost for the first time on his second bout, being beaten on points after four rounds by Valentin Holguin on October 13 in Los Angeles
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...
. Six days later, he knocked out Davey White in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. Eight days later, he had a rematch with Holguin, over the extremely rare five rounds schedule distance. He avenged his first loss by outpointing Holguin.
On November 3, he scored his first knockout in the first round, defeating Horacio Pintado in Los Angeles. But, in his next fight, on November 18, he lost by a four round decision to Carlos Ortiz, in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Meza began rising in boxing's ranks when he knocked Ortiz out in the first round on December 16, also at San Diego. He won 29 of his next 31 bouts, earning fame, particularly in the West Coast of the United States, as aforementioned. Among those thirty one bouts, there were many highlights, including:
- His first presentation as a professional in Mexico, on February 12, 1978, when he knocked out Julio Gaxiola in his hometown of Mexicali.
- A ten round decision loss to William Berry on August 2, 1978. in Las Vegas.
- A ten round decision win against experienced James Martinez, who came into their fight sporting a record of 41 wins, 7 losses and one draw (tie), on January 9, 1979, in PhoenixPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. - A ten round split decision loss to Carlos Mendoza, who also fought Roberto DuránRoberto DuránRoberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
and Wilfredo GómezWilfredo GómezWilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
; among others, on June 26, 1980 in Los Angeles. - A ninth round knockout win over Javier Flores, who had 29 wins and 9 losses before their fight, on March 26, 1980, in Las Vegas.
- A ten round decision win in a rematch with James Martinez, on May 28, 1981 in Las Vegas.
- A ten round decision win over Carlos Mendoza, thus avenging his earlier defeat to Mendoza, on August 21, 1981, as part of the Gómez-Salvador SánchezThe Battle of the Little GiantsThe Battle of the Little Giants was a 1981 boxing event with a deep social impact.Fought on August 21, 1981, at the Caesars Palace hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, it pitted Wilfredo Gómez, a Puerto Rican who had a record of 32 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw, and all his wins by knockout, and who was the...
fight's undercard in Las Vegas. - A knockout in nine rounds over Antonio Guido in Las Vegas as part of the BenítezWilfred BenitezWilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...
-DuránRoberto DuránRoberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
title fight's undercard, January 30, 1982, after which the WBCWorld Boxing CouncilThe 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...
ranked him as the number one challenger to Wilfredo Gómez's WBC world Super-Bantamweight title.
On March 27 of that year, Meza got his first world championship try, when he faced Gómez in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, for the WBC world Super Bantamweight title. Meza lost to Gómez by a sixth round knockout.
After losing to Gómez, Mesa took off one year from boxing. During this time, Gómez left the championship vacant; to challenge for the WBC's world Featherweight championship, and Jaime Garza won it by knocking out Bobby Berna for the vacant championship.
Meanwhile, Meza returned to boxing on April 26, 1983, knocking out Roberto Castillo
Roberto Castillo
Roberto Castillo Sandoval is a Chilean author. who currently teaches Latin American studies and comparative literature at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA...
in four rounds at Las Vegas.
He traveled to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
during July of that year, to fight Pongpan Sorphayathai on the 13th. of that month. He beat the Thai fighter by a third round knockout.
On November 19, he fought Javier Barajas in Las Vegas, beating Barajas by a ten round decision. The pair had a rematch, on May 16, 1984 in Las Vegas, and Meza won once again, by a ten round decision. After that, he was ranked as the number one Super Bantamweight challenger once again by the WBC.
On November 3, he was given a second try at the championship when he faced Garza, in Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
. Meza became the first challenger in boxing history to be dropped in round one, get up and knock the world champion out in the same first round, when he beat Garza to become the WBC world Super Bantamweight champion that day.
On April 19, 1985 he and Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
co-starred in an undercard, defending their world championships against Mike Ayala
Mike Ayala
Mike Ayala is a retired Mexican American professional boxer in the Featherweight division. Ayala is the former NABF Super Bantamweight and NABF Featherweight Champion.-Early life:...
and Ruben Castillo, respectively, at the Inglewood Forum, in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
. Both champions retained their titles with sixth round knockout wins.
On August 18, he and Lupe Pintor
Lupe Pintor
Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman , better known as Lupe Pintor, is a former world boxing champion from Cuajimalpa, Mexico. Nicknamed El Indio De Cuajimalpa or The Indian From Cuajimalpa, he started boxing professionally in 1974...
squared off in a fight that garnered major interest among Mexican boxing fans. Meza lost his title in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
that night, when Pintor dropped him twice, outpointing him over twelve rounds.
Pintor lost his title, in turn, to Samart Payakaroon
Samart Payakaroon
Samart Payakaroon, real name Samart Tiptarmai is a Muaythai boxer.-Thai Boxing career:Samart has an older brother, Kongtoranee Payakaroon, who induced Samart to start training in Muay Thai.Samart started Muaythai training when he was 11...
, who gave Meza a chance to recover the WBC world Super Bantamweight championship on December 10, 1986 in Bangkok. Despite not fighting for more than a year, Meza lasted until the twelfth round with Payakaroon, who proceeded to knock him out in that round.
Meza had two fights in 1987, beating Lenny Valdez in the first round by knockout, and then losing to Javier Marquez by a knockout in round eight on October 30. After his fight with Marquez, he retired for ten years.
On February 14, 1997, he returned to boxing with a knockout victory, beating Esteban Lozoya in four rounds at Mexicali. But, in his next fight, he met fringe contender Wilfredo Negron
Wilfredo Negron
Wilfredo Negron is a professional boxer.Wilfredo began boxing professionally in 1994, and has faced a number of tough opponents in his 13 year career, such as Zab Judah, Martese Logan, and Emanuel Augustus. He has challenged for a number of minor titles, winning the WBA Fedecentro lightweight and...
of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, being knocked out by the Puerto Rican in the first round at Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Meza then retired for the second time.
He has stayed in retirement since. Because of his current age, it is doubtful he will ever box again as a professional.
His professional boxing record consisted of 45 wins and 9 losses, with 37 wins by knockout.