Jennifer Lozano, “La Traviesa”, brings family and Texas pride to every punch

U.S. boxer Jennifer Lozano wears the nickname “La Traviesa” (the troublemaker) with pride. It came from her grandmother – “Abuelita” to Jennifer – whose tragic passing has been one of many powerful forces shaping the life of the Olympic hopeful from the border town of Laredo, Texas.

In a conversation with NBC Sports, Lozano discusses her relationships with the most important women in her life and how she was able to channel an inscrutable level of grief—one that would break most people—into strength, resilience, and motivation as she attempts to make her first Olympic appearance in Paris 2024.

Lozano, who has family roots in Mexico, also shares her reality of life in a border town, her pride in her heritage, how she went from a little girl watching Jackie Nava fights on Saturday nights with her grandmother to a professional making her passion her career, and how she channels her family and her identity into her boxing.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It contains some graphic descriptions that may be difficult for some readers, and reader discretion is advised.

How did you get your start in boxing and what was it that made you fall in love with the sport?

Jennifer Lozano: I started boxing at the age of nine because I was a very overweight kid. I was always fighting in the streets at school because I was bullied because of my weight. It was very hard. I would walk home from elementary school and have kids from different grade levels just waiting for me to cross the block or pass through them and they would just jump me. They would trip me and start hitting me and it just got to a point where I just wanted to defend myself. I would never say anything. I would just take it.

I never understood why kids were so mean to me, why they would call me all these names and just jump me for no reason. I never did anything to provoke them. I just decided to go and join a boxing gym in the south side of Laredo, Texas, and once I did I just loved the fact that I could finally defend myself. I loved the fact that my body was different. I had this different kind of confidence within myself because I started to see changes.

About a year later, I wanted to compete. In my city, back in the day, there weren’t any females in male-dominated sports. [The mindset] was that women were supposed to stay in the house and take care of their families. When my mom and I told my coach at the time that I wanted to compete, they immediately said no, you still have a lot of weight to lose. They told me you’re a girl and girls can’t box. Girls are never going to know how to box and this isn’t meant for you.

That really shattered me because I discovered a different type of love for the sport. Once I left that gym I continued to play sports, I played basketball and soccer but it wasn’t the same. Those were just hobbies. My mom noticed that and about six months later, she ended up finding this other boxing gym that was in the center of the city, and within two months of being part of their teenage classes, they just took me in. They asked me if I wanted to compete. I was like, “You’re actually asking me? Of course, I want to compete!” So I joined their fight team and have been with them ever since.

I’m sorry you were bullied. How difficult was it for you and your mom to find people that believed in you and wanted to come alongside you on this journey with boxing?

Lozano: It was really hard just because I’m the first female from my city to ever really be in a sport like this and make it this far. I would spar [with] boys in gyms and immediately people [watching] would be shouting “kill her, destroy her”... all of these negative comments. I’m like come on, that’s a guy, he’s just helping me out. Sometimes the guys would hurt me and I wouldn’t back down because I wanted to prove a point. I wanted to show that I can stay in [the ring]. I can last in here. You’re not going to scare me away from this.

Years went by, I started winning and I was getting recognized but it was very hard because not a lot of people believed in me. I would lose one fight and people would say, “It’s over. She’s going to stay in the house. Go to college.” The people who really stuck by me and pushed me were my grandma, my mom, and my coaches. My coaches always believed in me and saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself at the time. They knew I had something in me that could get me far in this sport, and that I could make a difference in my city, and in women’s boxing in general. Just being able to represent both Mexico and America...it’s crazy. I really hope I’m an inspiration to many on both sides of the border.

Fast forward to now, you’re a member of USA Boxing’s high-performance team, training for the Paris Olympics. Knowing all that you know now, what would you tell your younger self? What would you say to that coach and all of the people that said you didn’t have any potential because you’re a woman?

Lozano: I would tell my younger self to be patient. I would say “It’s okay.” I know it seems like the world is crashing down. I know it seems like there’s so much pressure and that you’re not going to make it out because of the way life is at the moment, but be patient. It’s okay. You’re going to make it and you’re not even going to expect to be where you’re at.

I always look at pictures of myself as a kid, especially when I’m feeling discouraged, and I just remind myself that I’ve come such a long way. Little Jennifer would be crying if she could see how far we’ve come. We made it. We’re here.

Something I’ve told that coach and others who have doubted me is look at me now. You just fueled me, you were part of my motivation. Thank you for not believing in me. Thank you for not wanting me there and not seeing what very few people saw. That’s exactly what kept me going. That made me want to be not good, but great in whatever I did.