Straight from the mean streets of Laredo, Texas, Jennifer Lozano has had a remarkable journey from being bullied to being the bully in the ‘sweet science’ of boxing. The pain and the suffering paid off eventually as Lozano will be traveling with Team USA to the Paris Olympics 2024. After winning the silver medal at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games in the 50 kg weight class, she punched the golden ticket to the Olympic games this year. In a YouTube episode named, “I’m Going To The Olympics”, Jake Paul documented the struggles of ‘The Troublemaker’ along with many other boxers in the lead-up to the mega-event at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

“I make sure I’m as much of a troublemaker as I can be every time I box, the way I put my gloves up, the way I move, I show off, I’m cocky in there!”  the Olympian said in one of her interviews. A rough upbringing in a border town shaped her unbreakable resolve. As ‘The Problem Child’ brought in his therapist Suzi Landolphi to help the Olympic boxing squad work through their traumas, Lozano opened up about her life’s rough edges that sharpened her instincts for the fight game.

Nothing like the ‘sweet science’ to restore self-esteem!

Growing up as a child with Mexican heritage in a border town in Texas was a tough experience for Jennifer Lozano. She was bullied mercilessly for being overweight and speaking Spanish. Thus, young Lozano had to pick up boxing at the age of nine to defend herself from being roughed up by the neighborhood kids.

“What got me started into boxing was the fact that I was very overweight when I was growing up. I used to get picked on and bullied, so I wanted to defend myself. I told my mom I wanted to join a boxing gym. I got confidence after I lost a lot of weight,” she confessed.

Quite quickly, a vocation taken up with the intention of self-preservation became a burning passion. She wanted to become the punisher in the ring and hungered for the accolades that came with it. “I told my mom like, ‘I want to compete’. Like, I see the guys come in and out with belts and trophies and medals, and  I be like, ‘Yo, I want one like what the hell like I want one,” Lozano recounted.

Jennifer’s wish came true as her talent was ultimately recognized by the coaches at the Boxing Pride gym. Soon, she began participating in high-level competitions. Lately, she won a bronze medal at the 2023 GeeBee International Tournament, gold at the 2022 USA Boxing Elite Championship, and another bronze medal at the 2022 USA Boxing International Invitational. Now, the 21-year-old boxer has become the first person from Laredo, Texas, to qualify for the Olympic games.

However, it wasn’t the end of her traumatic experiences. Living in a place that shared its borders with Mexico, the cartels wreaked havoc in her town.

Bucking the ‘Machismo’ trend!

Back in her hometown, Jennifer Lozano is part of a culture that looks down on women. The men were the breadwinners while the women stayed back at home and took care of the family. Sometimes, men in the neighborhood would resort to nefarious means to make ends meet. Sharing borders with Mexico, the people in her town would get mixed up in the cartel business. The result was death and destruction in the deadbeat town.

“Especially growing up, like there was a lot of machismo because we’re right on the border. So, I grew up in Mexico and Laredo, and I lost friends to the streets, I’ve lost friends to cartel. It’s a hard life like it’s not easy. And I’m not going to lie to you, I was at a point in my life where I almost did fall into that path- like the very deep wrong past,” the boxer revealed in the interview. Shockingly, her late grandmother and close confidante, who gave her the nickname “La Traviesa” (The Troublemaker) became a victim of a shootout in the neighborhood. Having not heard from her grandmother for days, Lozano decided to visit her house in Nuevo Laredo, where she found her lifeless body. The Texan native speculated that gang members were involved in her killing.

Affected deeply by the tragedy of her grandmother’s death, Lozano’s relentless pursuit of glory in the ‘sweet science’ is a tribute to her. Any medals won in the Olympics will be dedicated to her ‘abuelita’, who had been a pillar of strength throughout all her ordeals.

Furthermore, the Olympian has a chip on her shoulder to prove to the kids in her town that it is possible to have a life of meaning and purpose and break away from the toxicity that has engulfed her town.

For Jennifer, it is more than a gold medal. Through her triumphs, the city can imagine a future that is a far cry from the tragedy inflicted by drugs, misogyny, and violence. Will you be rooting for Jennifer Lozano in the upcoming Olympics? Let us know in the comment section below.