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5'3" Melissa
"Huracan" Hernandez from Puerto Rico by way of the Bronx, NY
was born on February 4 1980. She took up boxing to lose weight when she
tipped the scales at 160 lbs. She was invited to a gym by her best
friend's brother, a two-time Golden Gloves champion. Melissa trained at
the gym for a while but dropped out. However, two months later she
walked into a Webster PAL gym where she decided to take another shot at
boxing training.
By the time the 2003 New York
Golden Gloves came around, Melissa had reduced her weight to 145 lbs
and she signed up to fight at 138 lbs. In her first fight she faced
Golden Glove champion Jill Emery
of Gleason's Gym and lost (although some thought she was robbed).
She then met former world
champion Ada Velez, who
told Melissa that she liked her style and energy and invited Belinda "Brown Sugar" Laracuente
to see her fight at the 2003 Women's U.S. Championships in Fort
Lauderdale, FL. Melissa stopped Krista Savage of Eau Claire, Wis.,
RSC-2. in the 138-lb quarter-final on July 9. On July 11th in
the 138-lb sem-ifinal Nasheba Thomas of Toledo, Ohio won when Melissa
was disqualified in the third round (Thomas lost to Melissa's nemesis
Jill Emery in the final by a 17-2 margin). Despite Melissa's semifinal
loss, Velez and Laracuente moved her to Florida to train with them
anyway.
"I lived with them
for a while and learned how to box and not just fight", says
Melissa. "It seemed that a little of the Brown
Sugar rubbed off on me and I began to have a little of her style in me.
I stayed with Belinda as my head trainer for almost a year, fighting
any fights I could get. By the time the 2004 Golden Gloves rolled
around I had changed my style to a mix between boxer brawler. My
trainer Pablo knew I had a better shot and I had dropped my weight down
to 130 lbs. With hard training and dedication I went on to win the 2004
Golden Gloves"
At the
2004 National PAL Boxing Championships in Virginia Beach, VA,
Melissa won the 132-lb division by an
RSC over Raynette Thomas of
Sumter, SC..
Hernandez flew out of the corner throwing from the opening bell and
quickly piled up the necessary points to cause the stoppage.
She also won the 2005 Golden
Gloves, as she puts it on her web site "beating tough
opponents like Dominga Regla (Olivo) from Sunset Park P.A.L. who I beat
even worse four months after the gloves when she decided she wanted to
have a rematch with me." She then went on to win
the 2005 Florida PAL Championship over Lena Taylor.
 Melissa
made her pro boxing debut at the Hilton in New Yotk City on October 26
2005, notching a four-round majority (40-36,49-36,38-38) decision over
previously unbeaten Mao Mao Zhang of China, also a former amateur
champion. Hernandez dictated the pace of the fight with her jab. She
executed her game plan well by using excellent footwork, head and body
movement, as well as feinting, but she did manage to walk into the line
of fire a few times and was hit with a couple of solid left hooks as
she tried to get inside. Overall, her boxing skills were too much for
Zhang, whose pro record fell to 1-1 with the loss. "I
went out intending to punch with her and got caught with a terrific
shot and I turned into a boxer real fast. I look at the tape of that
bout and I barely recognize myself, but sticking and moving was what I
had to do to win a close fight against a good fighter." says
Hernandez.
On January 21, 2006 at the
White Rock Boxing Gym in Columbia, South Carolina, Melissa stopped
Jennifer Johnson of Camden, South Carolina at 0:17 in the first round,
dropping Johnson to 0-2.
Melissa (right) versus Merced Nunez in January 2006
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mike Blair
On April 29, 2006 at the
Silver Reef Casino in Ferndale, Washington, Melissa (128 lbs) scored a
four round unanimous (40-36) decision over 19-year-old pro debuter
Merced Nunez (128 lbs) of Philomoth, Oregon. According to WBAN
correspondent Mike Blair, the four round super featherweight bout was
easily one of the favorites of the night. The difference was
experience. Hernandez, though she only has two professional fights, had
sixteen amateur bouts. Nunez had only two amateur bouts. Nonetheless,
the fight was action packed. Though Nunez stood taller, she had some
trouble making contact with the elusive Hernandez. Hernandez was clever
enough to move in close, throw a jab or a shot to the body, then
retreat just out of range. Nunez possesses some good skills, and once
she learns to throw her jab straight instead of looping it, she will be
dangerous. She is certainly a tough young fighter. She showed no signs
of tiring at the end of the four round fight, but it looked like
Hernandez had the stamina to go another four quite easily. (For more
photos of this fight by Mike Blair, see WBAN
Photo Gallery #358 on the WBAN Records
Member Site)
On June 15, 2006 at the Seven
Feathers Hotel and Casino in Canyonville, Oregon, Melissa (124½ lbs)
faced veteran Kelsey Jeffries
(122 lbs) over 10 rounds for the IFBA Featherweight title, fighting her
to a split draw
(95-93 Jeffries, 96-94 Hernandez, 95-95). Jeffries won the
first two rounds but Hernandez picked up her pace and began to land a
hard right that would be effective throughout the fight.
Jeffries appeared to struggle against the speed of Hernandez in the
middle rounds, but she turned the fight back her way with busy
combinations in the seventh. The eighth was more evenly
fought but Hernandez went to the canvas in the final moments from what
appeared to be a slip but was scored as a knockdown for Jeffries.
Hernandez picked up her pace again to land well in the ninth, a round
that ended with a fierce exchange as both went all out. The
tenth looked even until Hernandez caught Jeffries with a left hook that
put the champion on the canvas. The fight ended with another
all-our slugfest by both. Jeffries was now 33-9-1 (2 KO's) while
Hernandez was just 3-0-1 (1 KO) as a pro!
“I know I’m
fighting a legend,” Hernandez said before the fight with
Jeffries. “Kelsey is highly
respected and I’m expecting a very tough fight. As an amateur I beat a
lot of more experienced fighters. There are not a lot of opportunities
for women in boxing, so I had no choice but to accept the fight. I’ve
psyched myself up to win. It will be tough, but I think the fight is
very winnable if I do everything right and don’t make any mistakes.”
"The only word I
can use to describe that fight was SURREAL", she said after
the match.
On June 30, 2006 at Club
Europe in Atlanta, Georgia, Melissa (134 lbs) won a six-round unanimous
(60-54,60-54,60-54) decision over Leora Jackson (135 lbs) of
Springdale, Arkansas who fell to 2-8-0.
Melissa vs. Stacey Rogers
© Copyrighted photo taken by Alan Messick
On August 31, 2006 at
Harvey's Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada, Melissa (130 lbs) TKO'd pro
debuter Stacey Rogers (124½ lbs) of New London, Ohio at 0:42 in the
third round of a scheduled four-rounder. Melissa wowed the crowd as she
thoroughly dominated the debuting Rogers. (For more photos of
this fight by Alan Messick, see WBAN Photo Gallery #385 on
the WBAN
Records Member Site)
Lisa Brown battles Melissa in November 2006
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On November 4, 2006 at the
Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Melissa (119 lbs)
won a ten-round unanimous (96-94,96-94,98-92)
decision over Lisa
Brown (121 lbs) of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada for the WIBA
Junior Featherweight title. Lisa fell to 12-3-3 (4 KOs) with
the loss, while Hernandez improved to 6-0-1 (2 KO's).
According to a
report
by Shawn Roth of FightNews
Canada, "Both fighters looked
fresh and willing to brawl as the fight opened but the youth of
Hernandez quickly took over. Brown seemed unable to catch the much more
agile Hernandez with any real significant punches in the early going.
Hernandez used her elusiveness to duck out of Brown’s punches and
counter with a nice right hand that she used effectively through the
match. Brown caught Hernandez with a good left jab and right hook combo
in the third, but Hernandez seemed able to absorb the shots well and
keep on moving. Hernandez continued to frustrate Brown in the middle
rounds, pinning the older fighter on the ropes and teeing off on her.
When Brown was able to muster an attack, Hernandez was able to quickly
move from trouble, but Brown did manage to catch the American with a
left jab before she could maneuver away from Brown late in the seventh.
The final rounds saw Brown come out looking sharper than the previous
rounds as the two exchanged some hard blows while on the ropes. Brown
connected a quality left jab on Hernandez in the ninth, but once again,
the younger Hernandez responded with a hard right jab. In the end,
Hernandez proved too quick and conditioned for Brown to handle."
“I didn’t know I was winning, I was just surviving
with Lisa Brown,” Hernandez said following her win. ”I
just feel crazy right now.”
Melissa battles Layla McCarter in Las Vegas
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On February 14, 2007 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas, Nevada, Layla McCarter
(132 lbs) of Las Vegas won by an eighth round TKO over
Melissa (133½ lbs). The fight was scheduled for twelve three-minute
rounds, with McCarter defending her GBU lightweight title.
Photographer Mary Ann Owen of BILV, said of the fight, “Hernandez
fought very well against the experienced McCarter. Hernandez displayed
courage and heart, McCarter’s experienced prevailed.”
After
the fight, McCarter said, “Hernandez
has a fighter’s heart. I respect her for stepping up, she will learn
from this and will use the experience for improvement. It took a lot of
guts to fight someone of my experience. We all pay our dues this
way. Her time will come and she will be a champion.”
For more fight photos by Mary Ann Owen, see
Photo
Gallery #407 on the WBAN Records
Member Site.
McCarter improved her record to 23-12-5 (5 KOs), while dropping
Hernandez to 6-1-1 (2 KOs).
Layla McCarter vs Melissa Hernandez rematch, April 2007
© Copyrighted photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On April 27, 2007, Melissa (130 lbs) returned to the
Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for a rematch with
Layla McCarter (133½ lbs) this time taking the GBU
Lightweight title away from the home-town favorite by an eight-round
majority decision. According to a WBAN
report
by Lori Steinhorst, "Melissa 'Huracan' Hernandez approached
the ring with an air of confidence and a playful nature, dancing and
smiling all they way. That playful nature was carried into every round
and it was apparent early on that she was well prepared for this fight.
Although Layla McCarter was able to catch Hernandez with some well
placed right hands and jabs, they appeared to have no effect on
Hernandez, who continued to press the action aggressively. This was a
different Melissa Hernandez. Her timing was precise and her right hand
accurate. Her legs were strong. She had a game plan and it was clear
she was sticking to it. Hernandez won by a majority decision with one
judge seeing the fight as a draw. This bout was eight rounds, at three
minutes."
Hernandez explained her success in the rematch: "I understand
now, the work is done in the gym, the ring is where I showcase what I
have learned, where I show my skills, where I relax and have fun! I am
so excited, it's hard to believe that I won, here in her hometown, on
short notice. I had been training so I felt I was prepared. I have
avenged my loss and I am happy."
Hernandez's win dropped
McCarter to 23-13-5 (5 KOs).
Chevelle Hallback vs Melissa Hernandez in February 2008
© Copyrighted
photo taken by Lori Steinhorst
On February
7, 2008 at the
Pechanga Resort and
Casino in Temecula, California, Melissa took on veteran
Chevelle Hallback of Plant City, Florida in a ten-round
barn-burner for the vacant IFBA Lightweight title.
According
to WBAN correspondent Bill Ortega: "The first round began
with Hallback connecting with a one-two combination that rocked
Hernandez and had her looking dazed. Then Hallback seemed to retreat
and that was all Hernandez needed to recover her senses. The fight was
on. The Bronx fighter jumped on Hallback with her busy combination
punching and when Hallback tried to retaliate, Hernandez would move out
of range. Hallback, a very athletic fighter with quickness and power in
each hand, returned in the third round with powerful shots that once
again seemed to hurt the gritty New Yorker. But she backed off again.
Back and forth each round seemed to go until the final two rounds. Then
Hallback seemed to realize she needed to dominate the last two rounds
and stepped up her punch output. Big blows rained off Hernandez’s head
but she refused to buckle under the intense pressure. With only 10
seconds left, Hallback blasted a right hand off Hernandez’s jaw but she
survived by firing back though trapped in the corner. The crowd roared
wildly."
Dr. James Jen Kin favored Hallback by 97-94 and
judge Vince Delgado scored the fight for Hernandez by 97-93 while Judge
Gwen Adair saw it as a 95-95 draw, for an overall split draw
decision.
Hallback
moved to
(26-5-2, 11 KOs) while Hernandez's record went to 7-1-2 (2 KOs).
This was clearly the fight of the night on an star-studded all-female
card that was later seen on
Fox Sports Net TV.
After the fight, Melissa said "Tonight I was at my best. The
fight went well and according to plan. The judges' decision, though,
caught me off guard because I thought Chevelle was much more
aggressive. It was her power against my slick game. I give
her credit, she’s a great fighter and I always want to battle a great
fighter."
On June 7, 2008 at the Mohegan
Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, Melissa (131
lbs) defeated Melissa
Fiorentino (132 lbs) of Cranston, Rhode Island by a third
round TKO in a scheduled eight rounder. The fight was non-stop
with Hernandez leading when Fiorentino received a cut and the
fight was stopped. Melissa Fiorentino fell to 17-2 (6
KO's) while Hernandez improved to
8-1-2 (3
KOs).
Melissa Hernandez vs Ela Nunez in September 2008
© Copyrighted
photo taken by Mary Ann Owen
On September 5, 2008 at Buffalo
Bill’s Star Arena in Primm, Nevada, (125 lbs) won a 10-round unanimous
(97-93,97-93,97-93) decision over Ela "Bam Bam" Nunez (125 lbs) of
Jamestown, New York for the vacant WIBA Super Featherweight
title. Photographer Mary Ann Owen who was at ringside for the
event said, "Nunez made a great showing, she was very busy in
every round. The fight was a real crowd pleaser, lots of action and
very entertaining. Both fighters' boxing techniques were outstanding,
they fought hard and furious every round. Nunez was there to fight and
stood strong against Hernandez exchanging blows. Hernandez kept the
pressure on Nunez all ten rounds, it was like the war of the
wills." For more fight photos by Mary
Ann Owen, see
Photo Gallery #490 on the WBAN Records
Member Site.
Nunez fell to 8-4 (2 KO's) with the loss while Hernandez improved to
9-1-2 (3 KO's).
On July 21, 2009 at Centro de Convenciones Atlapa
in Panama City, Panama, Melissa (128 lbs) won by a fifth round TKO over
undefeated Ambar Fajardo (129 lbs) of Caracas, Venezuela in a scheduled
eight-rounder for the WBA intercontinental title. According
to Hernandez's team, "Ambar came out strong and focused but
she was no match for Melissa. Round after round the speed and
slick style [Hernandez] had Ambar not knowing where to turn. At the
sound of the sixth round bell, Ambar didn't come out to fight
giving Melissa the win by TKO." Fajardo fell to
6-1.
On December 4, 2009 at the
Isleta Casino near Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hernandez became the center
of controversy when she walked out of the arena shortly before she was
due to fight local favorite and multiple world champion
Holly Holm in a
catch-weight bout. Hernandez spent much of the promotional
lead-up to the bout lampooning Holm's defensive boxing style by saying
she (Hernandez) would "hunt the rabbit", so it was a shocker when she
refused to fight following a dispute over the witnessing of Holm's hand
wrap. The Isleta Boxing Commission initially threw a
suspension at Hernandez for her refusal to fight but it later reviewed
the circumstances leading up to the wrap dispute and withdrew the
suspension. (It is normal for an opponent's hand wrap to be
witnessed by a boxer's own representative on request, but it was
unclear how rules were being applied at Isleta. The IBC is an
independent commission which itself came under investigation by the
Association of Boxing Commissions for its overall handling of this
card.)
On
February 19, 2010 at the Tri-State Sport Complex in Aston,
Pennsylvania, Melissa Hernandez won a six-round unanimous
(60-54,59-55,59-55) decision in a rematch with Ela Nunez of Jamestown,
New York. On the day before
the fight Hernandez had weighed in at 126 lbs and Nunez at 134
lbs for a contest contracted for 128 lbs. Nunez was fined for being
over the contract weight and the fight went on at the agreement of
both. Hernandez improved her record to 12-1-2 (4 KO's) as Nunez fell to
9-6-1 (2 KO's).
On June 5, 2010 at the National Guard Armory in Evansville, Indiana,
Lindsay
Garbatt (131 lbs) of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, won an
eight-round
majority (76-76,78-74,78-74) decision over Melissa Hernandez (131 lbs).
Garbatt improved her record to 5-3-1 (3 KO's). "I didn't
overlook
Lindsay," Hernandez
told
Bernie McCoy in a post-fight interview. "She (Garbatt) did
her homework and came to the fight totally prepared. I thought I fought
hard enough to get a decision or at least a draw, but I won't take
anything away from her, she got the ' W.' It was a good fight and now
it's time to get back to work, time to get back to my roots. First
thing is a rematch with Garbatt and I've been calling my manager every
day to get it done."
On August 14, 2010 at the Santa
Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo, New Mexico, Melissa Hernandez (132 lbs)
won an eight-round unanimous (79-73,80-72,80-72) decision over Victoria
Cisneros (133 lbs) of Albuquerque, NM for the interim WIBA Lightweight
title. Cisneros fell to 5-10-2 (1 KO) with the loss.
Lindsay Garbatt vs Melissa Hernandez in October 2010
© Copyrighted photo by Lori Steinhorst
On
October 16, 2010 at the Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo,
New Mexico, in the main event, Lindsay
Garbatt and Melissa
Hernandez fought to a 10-round majority draw in a rematch of their June
2010 bout, this time for the vacant GBU, WIBA, and WBAN Junior
Lightweight belts. The judges' scores were 95-95, 95-95, and
98-92 for Hernandez. Geraldo Martinez reported for Fightnews.com that "Hernandez
was the slicker boxer and animated; Garbatt, the more effective and
reserved.
“Tah, tah, tah”
was heard coming out of the always-animated Hernandez, every time she
threw a punch at the Canadian who beat her earlier in the year. Many of
her punches landed in the first couple (of) rounds. Unfortunately,
Garbatt
was also landing. Hernandez came out more aggressive in the third,
going after her taller and stockier opponent. The fourth and fifth
rounds were hard to score. Both women were exchanging leather and
finding their mark. Garbatt took over with her aggression in the sixth
and seventh rounds, connecting with shots while Hernandez threw wide.
Hernandez turned it on in the last few seconds of each of those rounds
to try and steal them, to no avail.
After some pleading from her corner, Hernandez
came out swinging in the eighth – but swinging too low, for she was
warned by Referee Tony Rosales.
Garbatt came back in the ninth and tenth, landing
hard rights to the face. The two women exchanged in the center of the
ring to end the fight.
Turns out neither woman came out as a champion
last night as the judges scored the fight a draw with scores of 95-95
twice and 98-92, Hernandez. That decision came after more than ten
minutes of discussion between judges and everyone else inside the
ring." Hernandez
moved her pro record to 14-2-3 (5 KO's) while Garbatt progressed to
5-3-1 (3 KO's).
On
January 20, 2011 at the Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Melissa Hernandez (125 lbs) TKO'd DJ Morrison (129 lbs) at 1:50 in the
fourth round of a scheduled six-rounder. Morrison fell to 2-8
(2 KO's) with the loss.
On
June 24, 2011 at the Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, Melissa (129¾ lbs) won an eight-round split
(77-75,77-75,75-77) decision over Jelena Mrdjenovich (132¼ lbs) of
Edmonton in a non-title bout. Mrdjenovich dropped her third straight, falling to 24-8-1 (12
KO's). On
September 24, 2011 at Grand Star Receptions in Altona North, Victoria,
Australia, Melissa (132 lbs) TKO'd Christina Tai (134 lbs) of
Auckland, New Zealand at 0:54 in the fourth round of a scheduled
six-rounder. Hernandez was much too fast and sharp for Tai,
who fell to 4-11-0 (1 KO). On December 16, 2011 at the Arena Maipú Casino Resort in Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina, Erica Farias
(132¼ lbs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina won a hard fought ten-round
unanimous (96-94,97-93, 97-93) decision over Melissa (132½ lbs)
defending the WBC Lightweight title. Farias
initially had trouble finding the range to land clean shots
on Hernandez, who moved well and landed many good shots of her own. As the fight progressed Farias used her jab
more effectively to set up accurate shots with her right but Hernandez
kept it close and worked well at close quarters. Farias eventually had the better of the action which was entertaining outside
the clinches and appeared to WBAN to be closer than the final
scorecards. Farias improved to 12-0 (6 KO's) with the
win while Hernandez fell to 16-3-3 (6 KO's). [Video]
 Melissa
told WBAN writer Bernie McCoy "When I was still in the
amateurs and thinking of turning professional, I had a list of four
fighters that I held in a great deal of respect and esteem. Kelsey Jeffries was second on
that list. Belinda Laracuente
was at the top ... Chevelle
Hallback and Melissa
Del Valle were the other two." Asked to
describe her style as "boxer," "puncher," or "brawler," Hernandez
thinks for a moment and replies, "All three, probably,
depending on what's needed in a particular fight."
Other Melissa
Hernandez 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
Page
last updated:Saturday, December 16, 2011
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