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Méxican bantamweight Zulina "La Loba" Muñoz was
born in San Vicente Chicoloapan, México, and boxes out of México City.
She began
boxing at age 16 when her father Fernando s took her to the gym where
he coached his son. In addition to her boxing career she works as
a nurse, and she is said to play the guitar "beautifully and
romantically".
She made her professional
boxing debut on March 11, 2005 at Salon Super Estrella in Ciudad
Nezahualcoyotl, México, scoring a first round knockout of Miriam
Serrano, who fell to 0-5 with the loss and has not fought
professionally again.
On November 19, 2005 at Arena
Azteca Budokan, Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina TKO'd Guadalupe
"Diablita" Marroquin of Veracruz, México in the second round of a
scheduled six-rounder. Marroquin fell to 0-2 with this loss.
On December 10, 2005 at Salon
Rojo in Toluca, México, Zulina faced Guadalupe Marroquin again, this
time knocking her out in the first round of another scheduled
six-rounder and dropping her record to 0-3. Marroquin has also not
fought again.
On December 19, 2005 at Crown
Plaza in Tlalnepantla, México, Zulina (116¾ lbs) won by a second round
TKO over Sandra Hernandez (5'5", 116¾ lbs) who was making her pro
debut. Hernandez later dropped down to flyweight and became
the Méxican Flyweight champion in 2008.
On February 11, 2006 at Arena
Azteca Budokan in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina knocked out
debut fighter Patricia Contreras in the first round of a scheduled
eight-rounder. Contreras has not fought since.
On March 18, 2006 at Expo
Deporte in Toluca, México, Zulina knocked out debuter Beatriz Martinez
in the first round of a scheduled eight-rounder. Martinez has not
fought since.
On April 28, 2006 at Arena
Neza in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina TKO'd Magdalena Leija of
Coahuila, México at 0:54 in the second round of a scheduled ten-rounder
for the vacant NABF Bantamweight title. WBAN's correspondent reported
that "Considering that both fighters had near-perfect
records – according to the Méxican sports journal Esto: 7-0-0 for Muñoz
and 4-0-0 for Leija (the only blemish in each case being a single
points win in a sequence of straight KOs) – that paper's assertion that
Muñoz started as 'clear favourite' must have stung Leija ... and when
(Muñoz) answered the bell for the first round, Magdalena Leija went for
her throat. Muñoz managed to dodge or block most of her best punches,
using her jab, as best she could, to keep her at bay, but Leija was
apparently hell-bent on a first round knockout ... Leija, the one
throwing most of the leather, and Muñoz, the one trying not to get
hurt. As the round wore on, though, the storm began to blow itself out;
Zulina caught her once or twice in the face with counters that seemed
to have a chastening effect, as well as weakening her with powerful
hooks to the abdomen; and as Leija returned to her corner at the end of
the first round, Jesús López, covering the fight for Box Latino, sensed
already that she was 'diminished'. Whether through tiredness or a
moment of inattention, Leija left herself open as she resumed the
attack in the second, and Zulina hit her. It was a right cross – a very
hard one – and Leija was hurt. Muñoz needed no second invitation.
Giving her opponent no chance to recover – it was the density of blows,
in the view of López, as much as their power that sealed Leija's fate -
Zulina buried her under a rockslide ... When referee Lupe García
stepped between them twenty seconds later, the woman from Coahuila was
slumped against the ropes with Zulina pounding her as though she were a
carpet."
On May 26, 2006 at Auditorio
Enrique Batiz in
Cuatlitlán Izcalli, México, Zulina defended her NABF title
with a clear ten-round unanimous (99-91,99-91,98-92) decision over
Fredee González, a Méxican who fights out of Los Angeles, California.
WBAN
reported
that "After
taking something of a hammering in the first three rounds, in which she
was caught frequently with solid straight lefts and powerful right
hooks to the head, and almost going to the canvas in the fourth,
González rallied bravely in the fifth, managing to frustrate the
19-year-old champion by fighting at short- to medium-range and denying
her the space to deliver either the left hook with which she knocked
out Beatriz Martínez in her penultimate encounter or the right cross
that (effectively) won her the title last month.".
Gonzalez fell to 1-1-1 with the loss.
On July 15, 2006 at Explanada
Mercado Benito Juarez in Toluca, México, Zulina TKO'd Martha Leticia
Arevalo of Guadalajara, México at 1:30 in the first round of a
scheduled ten-rounder for the NABF title. Arevalo fell to 1-8 with this
loss - her only win had been against the winless Elizabeth Ruiz in 2002.
 On
September 2, 2006 in Acapulco, México, Zulina (116½ lbs) TKO'd Fredee
Gonzalez (115¾ lbs) at 0:15 in the seventh round of a ten-rounder for
the NABF title, dropping Gonzalez's record to 1-2-1. WBAN
reported
that "Twenty-year-old
Fredee González's dreams of a world title lay in ruins last night after Zulina Muñoz (one year younger
and a whole lot more talented, it seems) beat her for the second time
in ten weeks; and this time — as she had promised — she did so far more
convincingly. Both women had made excuses for their performances last
time, with Muñoz saying she had been ill and González, that she had had
insufficient time to prepare, that she was in fact the stronger of the
two, and that she could knock Muñoz out. Not last night, she couldn't.
According to Sergio Abarca (NotiMéx), 'The She-Wolf', Muñoz, was far
superior from the start, punishing her challenger for the NABF
bantamweight title with blows to both head and body, and systematically
undermining her resistance to the point where referee Evaristo Cedillo
was forced to intervene and put a stop to the unequal contest. So the
fight lasted just over twelve minutes; and the arguments — that had
become quite bitter — about which of the two Méxican youngsters was in
fact the better prospect can now, one assumes, be laid to rest."
On October 28, 2006 at Arena
Azteca Budokan in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina knocked out
debuter Jessica Trejo from
Querétero in
the first round of a scheduled eight-rounder. WBAN
reported
that "Box Noticias
speculates that she was in a hurry to get to bed. Fighting in her home
state, in front of her own supporters, Muñoz ... went flat out from the
opening bell. The struggle was brief but cathartic ... Zulina got
through with a combination, followed by a right cross that caught Trejo
on the left eye. And that was it. Her knees wobbled and La Loba ...
went for the kill: a murderous flurry culminating in an uppercut with
the right hand and a precision left to the jaw. Whereupon the girl from
Querétero hit the canvas ...".
On December 22, 2006 at Arena
Azteca Budokan in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina knocked out
debuter Kristina Koderre in the first round of a scheduled
eight-rounder.
On February 3, 2007 at Estadio
Carlos Serdan in Veracruz, México, Zulina TKO'd local star Irazema de
la Fuente of Veracruz at 1:50 in the fourth round of a scheduled
eight-rounder. As
reported
on WBAN: "(Muñoz)
travelled to Veracruz to confront another of the rising stars of Méxican boxing, 16-year-old Irazema de la Fuente – at that time
(unofficially) 8 and 0 – in her home town. A delicate mission, as she
acknowledged in an interview with the local paper. 'I'm here for one
reason,' she confessed to Miguel Scagno, 'which is to knock your girl
out. They're trying to line me up a world title fight and I need a
convincing result. I prepare 100% per cent for all my fights
– for each fight as though it were my last – but for this one, I've
prepared even harder because she's going to be fighting in front of her
own people, and that always provides extra motivation.' Irazema, a
Rubenesque young beauty 'who looks more like a model,' noted Scagno,
'than a boxer, such is the flawlessness of her complexion,' hadn't
analyzed videos of 'La Loba' but had watched her shadow box 'which
gives you a pretty good idea,' she explained, 'of the way someone
fights'. 'I have tremendous mobility in the ring; I can take a punch;
and I have a powerful right hand. I also have good technique, but if
ever I do have to slug it out with someone, I can. No one's ever beaten
me and I never stop coming forward.' De la Fuente knew that
if she beat Muñoz, doors would open. But it was not to be."
On April 21, 2007 at Arena
Azteca Budokan in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina knocked out
Jessica Trejo in the fourth round of a scheduler eight-rounder,
dropping her to 0-2. WBAN
reported
that
"Last time
Jessica Trejo of Querétaro tangled with NABF bantamweight champion
Zulina Muñoz, she didn't last two minutes ... on Saturday evening she
fared slightly better, detaining 20-year-old Zulina for all of four
rounds, but the result was no different This brings Muñoz's official
record to 14-0-0 with 13 KOs. The irony is that she isn't a slugger; at
least, that's not the way she thinks of herself. "I'm a disciplined
fighter," she told Miguel Scagno of Notiver, "and I try also to be a
stylist in the ring". One of Muñoz's great strengths is that her left
hand is almost as good as her right. And her finishing, as befits a
nurse, is 'clinical'. "When I've softened up an opponent and it's time
to take her out," she told Notiver, "I like to finish with her that
instant – the faster the better."
On June 29, 2007 at Deportivo
Tlalli in Tlalnepantla, México, Zulina knocked out Magdalena Leija in
the seventh round of a ten-rounder for the NABF Bantamweight title.
With this loss, Leija fell to 0-2-1 in fights known to WBAN, but Arturo
Contreras at Notifight.com
gave
her pre-fight record as 7-2-0 (5 KO's).
On July 13, 2007 at Auditorio
Centenario in Gomez Palacio, Durango, México. Zulina TKO'd debuter San
Juana Castaneda in the second round of a scheduled four-rounder.
Having built a stoppage-filled
winning record in México, Zulina Muñoz went for her first fight abroad
against a more formidable and experienced foe than before.
Alesia Graf (L) vs Zulina Muñoz in September 2007
On September 15, 2007 at
Stadthalle in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany,
Alesia-Tamara Graf
of Stuttgart, Germany defeated Zulina by a ten-round unanimous (97-92,96-93,97-92) decision
for the GBU Junior Bantamweight title. After
Muñoz demanded a rematch, Graf stated, "The Méxican can have
a rematch if she likes to get hit so much. However, then she'll get
KO'd." Muñoz fell to 16-1-0
(15 KOs) while the
Belorussian-born Graf improved her record to 18-1-0 (8 KO's).
Graf was ranked #4 in the
world by WBAN going into this fight, but Muñoz was unranked
by us owing to the lower level of her competition up to that point. The
experience disparity did not faze Muñoz's manager
Mauro Ayala who had
stated
that
"Alesia has been on the canvas a few
times. One of those occasions was to Alicia
Ashley who does not hit very hard", adding "we
have studied the European style."
On February 23,
2008 at Auditorio de la Ciudad Deportiva in La Piedad, Michoacán de
Ocampo, México, Zulina returned to competition with a third-round
knockout of Jessica Trejo of Querétero,
who fell to 0-3.
“Zulina
finished her with a powerful combination,”
reported
Esto, “a straight right followed by a left hook.” This
scheduled ten-rounder was Trejo's third loss to Muñoz.
On April 11, 2008 at Arena
Azteca Budokan in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, México, Zulina again faced
Fredee Gonzalez, this time winning a ten-round unanimous decision.
Gonzalez fell to 1-3-1.
On June 21, 2008 at Deportivo
Benito Juárez, San Vicente Chicoloapan, México, Zulina won a ten-round
unanimous decision over Maria Elena Villalobos for the vacant WBC
International Bantamweight title. Villalobos fell to 2-2 with this loss.
Zulina Muñoz vs Galina Ivanova in September 2008
On September 6, 2008
at the Grand Hotel in Tijuana, México,
Zulina (118 lbs) contested the WBC Bantamweight title with Galina Koleva Ivanova (118
lbs) of Bulgaria, a well-traveled triple world champion whose
international experience included contests with Anita Christensen,
Esther Schouten,
Bettina Csabi,
and Daisy Lang.
According to a report
on SDFights.com, "In round
one, the southpaw Bulgarian seemed cool and collected as she
successfully boxed around the ring while Muñoz over anxiously stalked
her opponent but failing to cut off the ring. Ivanova
finished off the round by scoring with a right/left combination that
quickly became her weapon of choice. In the second, the pace
quickened as Ivanova opened the stanza by landing a big counter left to
the jaw of Muñoz. Although the Bulgarian continued to control
the rhythm and pace of the bout, Muñoz began to close the gap and began
to land lead left hooks to the head of the champion. In the
third, Ivanova began to increase her movement and effectively slip the
body attack of Muñoz and in turn frustration began to show on the face
of the Méxican. Ivanova closes the round with another
effective straight left that shocks Muñoz. The middle rounds were more
of the same as Ivanova circled to her left, away from the right hand of
Muñoz and effectively scored with right/left straight punch
combinations. By this point, it started to become apparent
that the frequent head bumps that were initiated by Ivanova were
frustrating Muñoz as much as the fact that the Méxican was ineffective
at cutting off the ring of her quick-footed rival. Zulina Muñoz had her
best round in the seventh as she landed a straight right/left hook to
the head of Ivanova that stunned the champion and allowed her to trap
Ivanova against the ropes and attack the body. Muñoz opened
the eighth with a right hand but the quick right hand jab of Ivanova
opened a cut under the eye of the challenger. After the
success of Muñoz in the seventh, Ivanova made it a point to box her
outclassed opponent for the remainder of the round. Although
Muñoz had success in cutting off the ring in the ninth, Ivanova was
still able to control the action with her straight punches to the head
of Muñoz and finished off the bout with an impressive display of quick
footwork and even quicker hands." Judge Roman Cruz scored it
96-94 for Ivanova, judge Ramon Espinoza had it as a 95-95
draw while judge Alejandro Rochin Mapula saw it 96-94 for Muñoz.
Ivanova moved her record to 9-6-3 (0 KO's).
Muñoz had returned to Germany
for 25 days to prepare for her fight with Ivanova at the invitation of
promoter Peter Kohl of Universum Boxing.
On April 18, 2009 at Gimansio
Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua, Zulina (122½ lbs) won an
eight-round unanimous (80-72 x 3) deision over Paola Rojas (122¾ lbs)
of Cartagena, Colombia, who fell to 3-8-1 (1 KO).
On February 19, 2010 at Centro
de Convenciones in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, México, Zulina (118lbs) won
the vacant Méxican Bantamweight title with a first-round TKO over
Yolanda Segura (116¾ lbs) of Tampico, México, who fell to 5-2 (4 KO's)
with the loss.
 On March
27, 2010 at Deportivo Trabajadores del Metro in Iztacalco, Distrito
Federal, México, Zulina (116¾ lbs) won a hard-fought ten-round
unanimous (97-93,97-93,96-94) decision over Yazmin Rivas (115¾ lbs) of
Torreon, México for the vacant WBC Youth Bantamweight title.
According to local news reports, Rivas won the first three rounds
handily as
Muñoz initially had problems
defending her left hand, feints, and head movement, but Munoz rallied
in the later rounds to outscore Rivas with combinations. "Being
world champion is something indescribable, but I thank my family, my
team, my manager and my agent who gave me the support to defeat an
opponent who was fighting as hard as I was" said
Muñoz, who finished the bout with a
swollen face and a split lip. Rivas fell to 20-7-0 (8 KO's).
On May 15, 2010 at
Unidad
Deportivo
Benito Juárez in San Vicente Chicoloapan, México, Zulina (116¾ lbs) won a 10-round unanimous
(100-88 x 3) decision over Salma Canales (116¾ lbs) of Guadalajara,
México for the WBC Youth Bantamweight
title. Zulina
overcame an early cut to her left eye that was caused by a clash of
heads. Canales was deducted two points, first for a head butt in the
second round and then for holding in the third.
The overmatched
Canales fell to 0-3.
Zulina
Muñoz tested hard by Mayerlin Rivas in July 2010
On July
9, 2010 at the Gran Forúm
in México City, Zulina (117 lbs) retained the
WBC Youth Bantamweight
title with a majority (93-93-93-93,92-93) draw against the
feisty Mayerlin Rivas (116¾ lbs) of
Maracaibo, Venezuela. Rivas sent
Muñoz to
the canvas in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. The knockdown in the
fifth came more from a push than a punch, but in the sixth
Muñoz was dropped by
a clean one-two combination. However, Rivas faded in the last three
rounds of the clinch-filled fight while Munoz piled on the
pressure and squared the scorecards with help from a point
that
was deducted from Rivas in the ninth round. Both
boxers had kept the referee busy throughout a fight that at times
resembled a stand-up wrestling match more than sweet science as Munoz
repeatedly charged into Rivas with her head down to get to close
quarters. The
close result sparked controversy and Rivas' manager Orangel "Memin"
Ramos asked WBC for an immediate rematch between the two boxers. The
WBC reviewed video of the fight and has reportedly
ordered a rematch. Rivas
moved to 6-1-1 (5 KO's).
[Video
pt 1] [Video
pt 2] [Video
pt 3] On August 28, 2010 at Museo Modelo de Ciencias e Industrias in Toluca, México, Zulina Munoz (117½ lbs) TKO'd Magdalena Leija (115¾
lbs) of Saltillo, México at 0:39 in the seventh round of a scheduled
10-rounder for the WBC Youth Bantamweight title. Leija fell to 3-8-1 (0
KO's). [Video pt 2] On December 18, 2010 at Palenque de la Feria, Celaya, Guanajuato, México, Zulina Munoz (115¾ lbs) TKO'd
pro debuter Patricia Ordonez (115 lbs) of Tapachula, México at 1:34 in
the first round. For some reason, this mismatch was
sanctioned by the WBC as a bout for its Youth Bantamweight title.
On January 14, 2011 at Deportivo Trabajadores del Metro, Iztacalco, in
Distrito Federal, México, Zulina Munoz (115½ lbs) won a 10-round
unanimous (100-90 x 3) decision over Magdalena Leija, (117¾ lbs) of
Saltillo, México for the WBC Youth Bantamweight title. Leija
fell to 4-9-1 (0 KO's). On March 25, 2011 at Jose
Cuervo Salon in Polanco, Distrito Federal, México, Zulina Munoz
successfully defended the WBC Youth Bantamweight title with a ten-round
unanimous (100-90,100-90,99-91) decision over a bloodied but game
and durable Judith Rodriguez of México, who fell to 1-3 (0 KO's). On
May 26, 2011 at Foro Scotiabank in Polanco, Distrito Federal, México,
Zulina Munoz (117¾ lbs) successfully defended the WBC Youth
Bantamweight title when an overmatched Estefania Franco (116½
lbs) of Monterrey did not come out for the start of the fourth round
with a possibly broken nose following a punishing third round. Franco
fell to 0-2 with the loss in results known to WBAN (some Mexican
media claim that Franco had seven wins prior to this
fight). On
July 16, 2011 at Arena San
Juan in Nezahualcóyotl, México, Zulina Munoz (116¾ lbs) won the WBC
Silver Bantamweight title with a ten-round unanimous
(96-92,97-91,96-92) decision over Kandy Sandoval (115¼ lbs) of
Xochimilco, México
. Sandoval was dropped by an overhand left in the first round but
replied by knocking Munoz down with a right to the head in the second
round. Sandoval went toe to toe with Munoz late in the fight in an
attempt to turn the fight her way
after the faster-punching Munoz had controlled the middle rounds,
Sandoval fell to 5-2 (1
KO) with the loss. [Video] On August 28, 2011 at Plaza de Toros in
Huamantla, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Zulina Munoz (117½ lbs) TKO'd Verena Crespo (112½ lbs) of
General Roca, Rio Negro, Argentina at 1:42 in the second round of a
scheduled 10-rounder for the WBC Silver Bantamweight belt. Crespo
dropped to her knees in a corner after a flurry of punches in
which Munoz landed several hard lefts to the head in the second
round, then the referee stopped the contest. The unranked
Crespo fell to 6-5-1 (4 KO's). [Video] On December 3, 2011 at Deportivo
Morelos Pavon in Mexico City, Zulina Munoz won a ten-round unanimous
(100-90,99-95,99-92) decision over Fredee Gonzalez of Los Angeles for
the WBC Silver Bantamweight title. Munoz improved to 31-1-2 (21
KO's) while Gonzalez fell to 6-8-1 (2 KO's) with her fourth loss to
Munoz.
Other Zulina Muñoz links
- Thirteen
Down
Ewan Whyte, WBAN, Apr 24 2007
-
Muñoz "unstoppable"
Ewan Whyte, WBAN, Nov 3 2006
-
Ready, Freedee? KO!
Ewan Whyte, WBAN, Sep 3 2008
-
Keeping the Wolf from the Jaw
Ewan Whyte, WBAN, May 28 2006
- Muñoz
crushes Leija
Ewan Whyte, WBAN, May 1 2006
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: Tuesday, December 12, 2011
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