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Mexican minimumweight Ibeth "La Roca" Zamora Silva
was born in San
Cristóbal Huichochitlá, Toluca, Mexico on February 6, 1989.
She decided to become a boxer at age 15 and the sport soon became a way of life
for her. She told boxing writer Joe Serrat: "The
only thing I thought about was to wake up and learn new things inside
the boxing world. When I started, my biggest dream was to be a
professional boxer and of course to be a world champion
".
She had only two losses in her 36 amateur bouts and was
the 2005 and 2006 university champion, 2006 state champion and state
Golden Gloves champion in 2006. "Despite hard training, the
emotion and nerves of the first amateur fight you never forget, but
most of all and most important is that there is the motivation of the
dream."
She made her professional
debut on 10
February 2007 at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City, winning a
four-round decision over future NABF flyweight champion Belem
Posadas of Mexico City. "For me it was a litmus test and we
passed that hurdle", says Zamora.
On
May 5, 2007 in Metepec, México, she won a four-round unanimous
decision over previously unbeaten Ana Fabiola Arrazola of Tlalnepantla,
México, who fell to 6-1-2 (4 KO's). Zamora says this was one
of
her best fights "since nobody bet on me".
On August
2, 2007 at Vive Cuervo Salon in Mexico City, she won a
six-round split decision over Esmeralda (Gutiérrez) Moreno who
fell
to 7-2 (2 KO's).
 On February 23, 2008 in San
Cristóbal Huichochitlán, México, Esmeralda Moreno won a ten-round
rematch with Ibeth Zamora Silva for the interim Mexican Flyweight title
by a majority (97-93,97-93,96-96) decision. Moreno, who was coming off
a close loss to Alesia Graf of Germany for the GBU Junior Bantamweight
title in the previous November, improved her record to 9-3 (3
KO's).
Zamora says she was "not
as mentally prepared" for the fight as Moreno.
On April 26, 2008 at Frontón
El Gato in San Mateo Atenco, México, she won a
four-round decision over previously undefeated Momoko Kanda of Osaka,
Japan who fell to 3-1-2. (0 KO's).
On June 7,
2008 in Toluca, México, Ibeth (108 lbs) won a six-round
decision over previously unbeaten Jessica "Kika" Chavez (5'2", 105 lbs)
of México City, who fell to 5-1-2 (1 KO).
On November 21, 2008 at Salon
Marbet Plus in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, she won a ten-round unanimous
decision over previously undefeated Anabel Ortiz of Tepic, México for
the Mexican Junior Flyweight
championship. Zamora Silva improved her record to 5-1 (0 KO's) with
this win. Ortiz fell to 4-1 (1 KO).
 On
August 8, 2009 at Estadio
Cr. Gaston Guelfi/ Palacio Peñarol in Montevideo, Uruguay, Yesica Bopp
(106 lbs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina defended the WBA Junior Flyweight
title with a well-fought
ten-round unanimous (99-92,97-93,99-91)
decision over Ibeth (107 lbs, at left in the photo). Bopp
needed all
of her
trademark speed and ring movement to avoid being corralled by
the hard-charging Zamora.
Bopp also showed her skill at fighting (and clinching) at
close
quarters when the slower but persistently
aggressive Mexican was able to run her down. Bopp improved her
record
to 10-0 (4 KO's) with the win. Zamora says this was her
hardest fight, but remarked that "as a boxer she is good but I never felt her punches".
On
September 5, 2009, at the Arena Roberto Duran in Panama City, Panama,
Ibeth Zamora (105 lbs) won a nine-round unanimous
(88-82,86-84,87-83) decision over Ana Fernandez (5'3", 105 lbs) of
Pelara, Venezuela for the interim WBA Minimumweight title. Fernandez
survived a first-round knockdown to last until the final bell,
falling to 10-5 (7 KO's) with the loss. Zamora said that
"I thought the fight would end in the first round, but she rose to give
me a big battle. With the title I became the youngest world
champion in all Latin America at 20 years old."
 On October 31, 2009 at the
Gimnasio
Del Imcufide in Toluca, México. Ibeth (105 lbs, at left in photo)
TKO'd
Marisol Molina (105 lbs) of Tuxtla, México at 1:50 in
the
third round of a scheduled ten-rounder defending the interim WBA
Minimumweight title.
On June 24, 2010 at Jose
Cuervo Salon in Polanco, Distrito Federal, México, Ibeth (105 lbs)
TKO'd Patricia Hernandez (105 lbs) of Chiapas, México at 1:12
in the second round of a scheduled ten-round fight for the vacant WBC
Youth
Minimumweight title and the interim WBA Minimumweight title.
Hernandez, whose qualifications to be in a double title fight
were
unclear to WBAN, fell to 2-1 (0 KO's)..
On
July 17, 2010 at Palenque de la Feria in Tuxtla Gutierrez,
Chiapas, México, Ibeth (104¾ lbs) won a ten-round majority
(97-93,96-94,95-95) decision over newcomer Linda Sanchez (104¾ lbs) of
Veracruz, México defending the WBC Youth Minimumweight title. Sanchez
fell to 0-2 with the loss.
On October 16, 2010 at
Deportivo Trabajadores del Metro in Iztacalco, Distrito
Federal, México, Ibeth (105 lbs) TKO'd Mayela Perez (104½
lbs) of Saltillo, México, at 1:41 in the fifth round of a scheduled
ten-rounder for the WBC Youth Minimumweight title. Perez fell
to
9-13-3 (7 KO's). Zamora says of this fight:
"I came prepared for 10 rounds. I never thought I would win so
early, because she was a very experienced fighter, with over 20
professional fights and several title fights .... when I started as an
amateur she was a professional boxer. That is one reason why my
preparation was more intense."
On January 8, 2011 at the
Arena Coliseo in México City, Ibeth Zamora Silva (104¾ lbs) TKO'd Nancy
Franco (103½ lbs) of Jalisco, México at 0:57 in the sixth round of a
ten-rounder defending the WBC Youth Minimumweight title.
On April 11,
2011 at Yomiuri Bunka
Hall of the provincial city of Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan, undefeated
Etsuko Tada (104¼ lbs) of Kyoto, Japan won a ten-round unanimous
(95-94,98-92,98-93) decision over Ibeth Zamora Silva (104¾ lbs) for
the WBA Minimumweight
title. Tada improved to 8-0-2 (2 KO's) with the win while Zamora
Silva fell to 11-3 (4 KO's). On June 11, 2011 at Deportivo
Trabajadores del Metro in Iztacalco, Distrito Federal, Mexico, Ibeth
Zamora Silva (108 lbs) won the vacant WBC Youth Junior Flyweight title
with a TKO at 0:48 in the third round over Susana Cruz Perez (106 lbs)
of Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico. Perez fell to 5-2 (2 KO's) with the loss. On
August 13, 2011, at the Deportivo Tlalli in Tlalnepantla, México, Ibeth
Zamora Silva (108 lbs) fought unrated 28-year-old Yacksury Gordon (108
lbs) of Panama City, Panama in a defense of the WBC Youth Junior
Flyweight title. Silva won the scheduled ten-rounder by a third
round TKO. The WBC rule that allows an title-ineligible
28-year-old as an opponent for a "Youth" (i.e. under-23) title defense
was the subject of many emails
to WBAN following this fight. Gordon fell to 3-4-2 (0 KO's). On October 22, 2011 at Deportivo
Trabajadores del Metro in Iztacalco, Distrito Federal, Mexico, Ibeth
Zamora Silva won a scheduled 10 rounder over Tania Cosme of Puebla,
Mexico for the WBC Youth Junior Flyweight title. Cosme did not
answer the bell for the sixth round and fell to 3-3-1 with the
loss, which moved Zamora SIlva to 14-3 (7 KO's).
Ibeth says she
admires many fighters for their commitment and dedication but
holds her greatest admiration for Laura Serrano for all that Serrano did in
the ring and for her constant struggle to make women's boxing a reality in México. Among
male
fighters, her idols include Manny Pacquaio, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ponce
De Leon, Edin Valero, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Julio Cesar Chavez.
Asked if she has a message for young women who are
following in her footsteps as boxers, Zamora replies "Nothing is
impossible and when you have a dream, never wake up!"
Her nickname of "La Roca" - "The Rock" - came
from her uncle Cruz Zamora when she was in the final of the Golden
Gloves, because her boxing style is based on her strength and she likes
to trade punches with her opponents. Zamora
has completed the high school education that she interrupted to become
a boxer at UAEM Cuauhtemoc, and she hopes to obtain a degree in
gastronomy. She also helps her parents, who are seed merchants
and grocery suppliers, with their business.
Other Ibeth Zamora Silva links
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with
huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records
Member Site
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last updated: Sunday, October 23, 2011
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