Maira Moneo

Last updated
Maira Moneo
Born (1992-09-25) 25 September 1992 (age 31)
Uruguay
Other namesLa Panterita
Statistics
Weight(s)
Boxing record
Total fights15
Wins14
Wins by KO3
Losses1

Maira Moneo (born September 25, 1992) is an Uruguayan woman professional boxer. A lightweight, she has been recognized as the interim champion of the world in her division by the World Boxing Association since July 1, 2023, and by the World Boxing Council since December 15, 2023, and ranked by the International Boxing Federation at number 3. [1] An aggressive fighter, her nickname is "La Panterita" ("The Small Panther"). [2] A popular performer in Uruguay and in Uruguay's neighboring country of Argentina, Moneo has been featured various times at Argentina's international television boxing show, TyC Sports' Boxeo de Primera. [3] [4] [5] [6] Managed by Pedro Bologna and promoted by Georgina Rivero, Moneo was, as of 2024, the WBA's and WBC's interim women's world lightweight champion.

Contents

Professional career

Moneo made her professional debut on October 14, 2018, defeating the much more experienced Brazilian fighter Amanda Lopes at the Club Coetc in Montevideo by a four-round unanimous decision. [2]

Moneo won two more fights by decision before rematching Lopes in Moneo's fourth fight. That bout was significant because, in it, Moneo beat Lopes by a sixth-round technical knockout to record her first win as a professional by knockout. This fight took place on June 29, 2019, at the Club Coetc. [2] Lopes retired after that bout, with a record of 1 win and 8 losses. [2]

Moneo's next contest after the Lopes rematch saw her debut at the famous Palacio Peñarol in Montevideo as part of a program promoted by Argentine boxing promoter Sampson Lewkowicz that also marked her first time showcased on TyC Sports' Saturday nights television boxing series, Boxeo de Primera, when Moneo boxed Argentine Estefania Alaniz, beating the 4 wins, 2 losses and one draw (tie) fighter by a six-round unanimous decision despite having one point deducted by referee Alejandro Velazquez Torres in round five. [2]

Moneo's first six professional bouts took place in her native Uruguay, but her seventh fight marked both her first fight abroad and first in Argentina, when she faced Yanina del Carmen Lescano for the vacant South American women's lightweight championship on February 8, 2020, at Club Ferro Carril Concordia in Concordia. Deducted a point in the seventh round for a rabbit punch, Moneo suffered her first loss as a professional boxer when she was disqualified in round ten by referee Rubén Benez, who considered a headbutt that opened a cut over Moneo's right eye to have been caused intentionally by Moneo, leading to him disqualifying Moneo. [2] This fight was a rematch; Moneo had previously beaten Lescano by a four-round unanimous decision on Moneo's second professional fight, on November 10, 2018, at Club Coetc in Montevideo. [2]

Moneo's next bout after the disqualification loss against Lescano was for the WBA's vacant Fedelatin lightweight title, against 13-1-1 Ana Romina Guichapani, as the main event of a program that also included a fight between Gabriela Celeste Alaniz and Aixa Adema and a Diego Chaves fight. Moneo dropped Guichapani in round nine and forced a stoppage when referee Adrian Maganini decided that Guichapani was not defending herself enough to continue during that same round, thus Moneo scoring her second career knockout victory and first career championship, at the Complejo Multifuncion, in the city of Perez, Santa Fe, in Argentina. [2]

Moneo had a rematch with Estefania Alaniz, by then 5-5-1, with Moneo's WBA Fedelatin lightweight belt on the line, on February 26, 2022, at the Estadio Municipal Hector Gallucci in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe, and she repeated her win over Alaniz by beating her by a wide, unanimous ten-rounds decision with scores of 100-84, 100-89 and 99-88.5 for the Uruguayan (at that time in Argentine boxing, unlike boxing in other countries, judges were allowed to give competitors half a point on rounds) [7] who, with her victory, retained the Fedelatin championship. Of a total of 30 combined rounds scored by the three judges in this contest, Moneo was given 29.

One more successful defense of her title followed (against Sofia Rodriguez, a ten-round unanimous decision win), [2] and then Moneo went for the vacant South American super-lightweight title, facing the 12 wins, 11 losses and 3 draws Yamila Esther Reynoso at the Club Social Brandsen in Brandsen, Brandsen, Buenos Aires, on October 1, 2022. Moneo took the title by a close but unanimous ten-round decision, with two scores of 96-94 and one of 97-93, all in favor of her. [2]

For Moneo, fight number 13 proved to be her most important contest up until that point in her career, when she fought former WBC world lightweight and super-lightweight champion, the similarly nicknamed ("La Pantera" or "The Panther") [2] Erica Farias, 27-7 with 10 knockout wins coming in, in a defense of Moneo's Fedelatin lightweight title, at Casino Buenos Aires at Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires on December 30, 2022. Moneo retained the belt by a very close but unanimous decision in ten rounds with three scores of 96-94 for her. [2]

Moneo became the World Boxing Association's interim women's world lightweight champion on July 1, 2023, when she beat Alyn Sanchez by an eighth-round technical knockout at the Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires, as the main event of a program showcased on TyC Sport. [8] Sanchez was floored in round seven; the fight was stopped on the ringside doctor's advice. With the victory, Moneo is hoping to challenge the WBA's "full" champion, Katie Taylor of Ireland, for full recognition as a WBA world champion. [9]

On December 15, 2023, Moneo fought for, and won, the WBC's vacant interim women's world lightweight title by outpointing Bolivia's Lizbeth Crespo by unanimous decision after ten rounds, at the Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires, in a contest which was televised across the Americas on TyC Sports' Boxeo de Primera television show. [10]

Moneo has a record of 14 wins and 1 loss in 15 professional boxing contests, with 3 wins by knockout.

In July 2024, it was announced Moneo would fight Caroline Dubois for the interim WBC women's lightweight world title at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, England, on 3 August that year. [11] [12]

Personal life

Moneo resides in Montevideo. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santos Laciar</span> Argentine boxer (born 1959)

Santos Benigno Laciar, known familiarly as Santos Laciar and nicknamed Falucho, is an Argentine who was boxing's world flyweight and super flyweight champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Castro (boxer)</span> Argentine boxer

Jorge Fernando "Locomotora" Castro is an Argentine former professional boxer and former WBA middleweight champion of the world, who is best known for his second defense of the title against John David Jackson in 1994.

During the 1970s, boxing was characterized by dominating champions and history-making rivalries. The decade had many superstars, who also had fierce rivals. Alexis Argüello, for example, who won the world Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight titles in the '70s, had to overcome Alfredo Escalera twice before the decade was over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcela Acuña</span> Argentine boxer (born 1976)

Marcela Eliana Acuña is an Argentine professional boxer and part-time politician. She has held multiple super bantamweight world titles, including the IBF title since 2018; the WBA title from 2006 to 2008; the WBC title twice between 2008 and 2010; the WBO title from 2013 to 2014; the IBF title from 2016 to 2018; and the WBA interim featherweight title in 2016.

Juan Martin Coggi is a former boxer from Argentina. A native of Santa Fe Province, which was also the birthplace of Carlos Monzón, Coggi was a three-time world light welterweight champion. He had 75 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws, with 44 wins by knockout. He never lost a fight by knockout.

Celestino Caballero is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2014. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight titles between 2006 and 2010, and the WBA (Regular) featherweight title from 2011 to 2012.

José María Flores Burlón is an Uruguayan former professional boxer. Flores Burlón had a total of 115 professional bouts. He challenged once for the WBC Cruiserweight title in 1988.

Cristian Ricardo Lucio Mijares is a Mexican former professional boxer. He is a two-time super flyweight champion, having held the unified WBC and WBA (Unified) titles from 2006 to 2008 and the IBF title from 2010 to 2011.

Alexander "Alex" de Jesús was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, de Jesús represented the island of Puerto Rico in international events, including the 2003 Pan American Games, the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. Early in his career, he won seven regional titles: the World Boxing Organization Latino lightweight title, World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title, World Boxing Association Fedecaribe Lightweight title, WBO Latino light welterweight title, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight title, WBC Latino light welterweight title and the WBA Fedebol light welterweight title.

Leandro Blanc is an Argentine professional boxer who has held the South American light flyweight title since February 2020. As an amateur, he represented his country in the men's light flyweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Adames</span> Dominican boxer

Carlos Adames is a Dominican professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight title since May 2024. He previously challenged for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim light middleweight title in 2019.

Alberto Puello Calderón is a Dominican professional boxer who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight title from 2022 to 2023 and has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) super lightweight title since June 2024. On April 19 Puello tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and was handed a six-month suspension on June 22 2023.

Daniela Romina Bermúdez is an Argentine professional boxer. She is a former world champion in three weight classes, having held the WBO female bantamweight title twice between 2013 and 2020; the WBO female super-flyweight title from 2014 to 2017; and the IBF female junior-featherweight title twice between 2018 and 2020. She is the older sister of former light-flyweight world champion of boxing, Evelyn Nazarena Bermúdez.

Daniel Matellon Ramos is a Cuban professional boxer who held the WBA interim light flyweight title from February to August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Dubois (boxer)</span> British boxer (born 2001)

Caroline Sara Dubois is a British professional boxer. She has been Youth Olympic champion, World Youth champion and four-times European Youth champion. She is the younger sister of heavyweight boxer, Daniel Dubois.

Anahí Ester Sánchez is an Argentine professional boxer. She is a three-weight world champion, having held the IBF female super-featherweight title in 2016; the WBA female lightweight title in 2017; and the WBA female super lightweight title in 2019. She also held the WBA interim female featherweight title in 2015 and the WBA interim female super-lightweight title from 2018 to 2019, and challenged for the WBC and IBF female super-featherweight, and WBC female super-lightweight titles between 2016 and 2019.

Linda Laura Lecca is a Peruvian professional boxer. She held the WBA female super flyweight title from 2016 to 2018 and challenged for the WBO female super flyweight title in 2014 and 2018.

Ogleidis Suárez is a Venezuelan model and professional boxer. She held the WBA female featherweight title in 2013, having been promoted from interim champion, a title she held since 2011. Suárez also held the WBA female interim super featherweight title in 2014 and challenged for the IBF female light middleweight title in 2019.

Tamara Elisabet DeMarco is an Argentine female professional boxer from Saladillo, Buenos Aires. From March 19, 2022 to June 18 of the same year, she was the World Boxing Organization's female world Flyweight champion.

Gabriela Celeste Alaniz is an Argentine professional boxer who is currently the WBA, WBC, WBO & The Ring female world flyweight champion.

References

  1. "Women's Boxing Rankings - Female Boxing Ratings". boxingrankings.co. October 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "BoxRec: Login". boxrec.com.
  3. "Maira Moneo vs. Karen Alaniz - Boxeo de Primera - TyCSports" via www.youtube.com.
  4. "Maira Moneo vs. Paola Benavídez - Boxeo de Primera - TyCSports" via www.youtube.com.
  5. "La Fecha FAB cierra el 2022: Érica Farías y Maira Moneo en busca de Katie Taylor - TyC Sports". www.tycsports.com.
  6. "Maira Moneo vs. Ana Romina Guichapani / Diego Chávez vs. Marcelo Bzowski - TyC Sports". play.tycsports.com.
  7. "Adiós, medio punto en el boxeo argentino". ESPNdeportes.com. April 27, 2022.
  8. "BoxRec: Event".
  9. "Maira Moneo already thinks about the lightweight world belt". World Boxing Association. July 8, 2023.
  10. https://boxrec.com/en/event/885728
  11. "Briton Dubois to fight for 'interim' WBC title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  12. "Caroline Dubois to face interim WBC champ Maira Moneo". ESPN. Retrieved 16 July 2024.