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5'3" Melissa "Hurracan" 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 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 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 improved her record to 7-1-1 (2 KOs) with the win, while dropping
McCarter to 23-13-5 (5 KOs).
 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 and
she's now my manager. 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:
Friday, 11 April 2008 |
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