(AUG 27)  WBAN got an opportunity this week to interview professional boxer 24-year old Celina Salazar, of San Antonio, Texas.   Salazar has been boxing professionally since April of 2009, when she debuted against Lisa Lamb.  Salazar, with a 5-1-2 (1KO), has fought some of the top female boxers in the sport, that include Christina Ruiz, Melinda Cooper, and now former world champion Ana Julaton, who she just recently defeated on August 17th by a 10-round unanimous decision in Cancun, Mexico.  

TL Fox:  What got you into the sport of boxing?

Salazar:  When I was 10 years old,  I was wanting to get into dancing, so one day my mom had asked my dad to take me to sign up for lessons. But, when I got to the dance studio, there was a karate school right next to it.   I had always wanted to be in Karate, and so my father signed me up.  When I got home and told my mom the news she was a bit upset but never stopped me.

I then went from there to kickboxing a few years later. I was training for a kickboxing fight and that was when my karate instructor took me to Ramos Boxing.  Arturo and my instructor were friends and trained together.  After my kickboxing fight my instructor wasn't able to teach me so I went back to Ramos. I fell in love with the sport and have  been there ever since. I was 13 when I first got there. I grew up there.

TL Fox:  Do you box full time, or hold down working a job and boxing?

Salazar: I have a full schedule. I go to school, work and box. I work as an administrative assistant at a local business at First Memorial Park Cemetery.    I deal with families at their worst time of their lives, so It makes my life seem easy! (laughs) My coach, Arturo Ramos III is the General Manager there so he is really flexible with the hours I work.    It helps being able to have a job that works with you when you're in this sport cause you never know when you need time off for a fight or to go to camp.   All of the staff is really helpful. The owner of the cemetery,  Mr. Jerome H. Camero also supports me.  I'm lucky to have their support.

TL Fox:  Now that you've been in the ring with two former world champions in your last couple of fights----who would you want to fight next?  

Salazar:  I try not to worry about who I'm going to fight. We have a solid team of people who I'm comfortable with and trust. The only thing they ask me is what weight I'm comfortable at. So I'll be fighting at 118-122.   I'll fight whoever they put in front of me. I'm a fighter. This is boxing----we train and get paid to fight. That's what I do. I take and treat this sport with respect. Whenever I step into the ring, I can guarantee that I'm ready. I don't like making excuses for my results, so I prepare well every time I go to battle.    If I lose, it's part of boxing. I accept it and move on.  I don't get paid to be researching or looking up who I'm fighting. I love this sport. I love being in combat.

Obviously, there's other things that come with being a top fighter and when I get there I'll deal with them. My trainer, Arturo III went through this as a boxer so he's helped me deal with lots of the things I have trouble with.  

I'm not comfortable with the whole taking photos, posing, talking to the media, dressing a certain way, etc... but he tells me that's part of the sport, especially in women's boxing.   So I do whatever it takes to help my career. . . . well, not ANYTHING, like he always tells me, "if you're not comfortable doing something for personal reasons, don't do it. There's nothing wrong with saying "no" sometimes, there's always an alternative.

TL Fox:  You seemed to keep a very fast pace throughout the bout against Ana Julaton. How did you prepare for this and what was your game plan going into the fight?

Salazar:  My training camp started in San Antonio with Arturo Jr. , Hector and Mike Ramos. They basically put me through some workouts to keep my body strong for all 10 rounds. This was important cause this was my first time going this many rounds. Before this fight I had only gone 6 rounds once. My coaches Arturo III, Arturo Jr, Hector and Mike Ramos all came up with workouts to help me prepare for 10 rounds.

After three weeks, I went to Tampa for two weeks with Arturo III. All we did there was work on the game plan, study videos, and fine tune everything. Our game plan was to make her fight. We wanted to go in there and close the distance by moving forward, slow her down with some body shots and cut the ring cause we knew she would run once she felt my strength.

My coaches told me she wasn't going to stay in front of me and mix it up like in her other fights. I can honestly say I expected a much tougher fight. She had a lot riding on this win.   If she would have won this fight lots of doors would have opened for her. It's a shame it was so lopsided. I wanted to give the fans a more competitive fight which is why I prepared myself.

TL Fox: How long will you be boxing professionally?

Salazar: As long as my body allows me too and as long as I'm excited about the sport. When something starts getting boring you stop giving it your all. I'd rather stop boxing than half ass it.

TL Fox:  How does your family feel about her being in the ring? 

Salazar:   Well, I'm sure they worry about me getting hurt but they all support me. My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother ALL of my family supports me. It helps having a team, family, employees, and boss' that go out of their way to support me. The sport is not easy and I'm thankful to have their support.

TL Fox:  Are there other family members who are also into boxing?

Salazar: No, I'm the only one who boxes. I only have one brother. He's in the military.

TL Fox:  What would you like to accomplish in the sport?

Salazar:   I would love to win and defend a world title belt and be seen on TV.   I also would like to be one of the females that help put women's boxing on the map. I want to make a name for myself so I can encourage others to not only follow in my footsteps but to dedicate themselves and never give up.

In the last 24 months I've had a torn ACL and broken toe.  I could have easily quit but I continued. The result was the fight against Ana Julaton and Melinda Cooper, two former world champions,  that I feel has put my name among some of the top female boxers out there.  I'd like to teach others to set goals and go for them, that everything is possible with the right team and attitude. I would gladly accept to be the face of womens' boxing because I know I take this sport seriously and prepare myself well each time. I don't cut corners. I enjoy working hard and preparing myself for the big fights.

TL Fox:  When you are not boxing, what other things do you enjoy doing?

Salazar: I enjoy going out with my family and friends. My family like to be active so we go out camping and I love anything that involves the being outdoors. I enjoy seeing my nephews play whatever sport they get into for the season I go out there and support them  I like to go out like any other person  just being out or just going to the movies.

TL Fox: What would you tell other females who want to get into boxing, what advice would you give them?

Salazar: I would tell them to try it out Get into the workouts of boxing learn the technique and skills. It amazing how much you will learn from boxing and from yourself. This sport will teach you discipline strength and courage,  and with that you can do anything you set your mind to.

TL Fox:  Any last comments that I may not have asked you in this interview that you would like to add?

Salazar:  Just want to thank everyone who continues to support women's boxing. Its come a very long way in the past couple of years and hopefully us women can continue to move the sport forward and eventually earn the same respect and popularity as the men. It's been exciting being part of two major TV cards with golden boy and I hope they continue to give us these opportunities.