ROCKY JUAREZ

updated July 21, 2008

Rocky Juarez enters a room quietly. He doesn't pack a huge entourage. And for a 27-year-old, his maturity is made even more visible by the absence of bluster.

But what the featherweight contender does possess is confidence, a faith in his ability that has allowed him to get past the snubs of his earlier pro career, and silently enjoy the accolades he is receiving from all quarters now.

"In the beginning I wasn't showing out as much," said Juarez. "I wasn't being flashy, but I was still consistent with my performances. I was getting the job done, but the way I was doing it wasn't getting the people's attention. I feel that I've been progressing well with each fight and people are getting to see that I'm a solid fighter. It's not always the flashy fighter that becomes a world champion, it's the fighter that works hard, who is well skilled in the ring and knows how to take the pressure and go the distance. That's when it really counts, when you're able to take some, give some, and come out with the victory."

At 26-3 with 19 KOs, Juarez is on the brink of a world championship, and with each fight, the 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist is getting better, and his economical style is garnering the rave reviews he deserves. But don't expect the Houston native to start telling people 'I told you so'. In fact, he's used to being overlooked.

"My amateur career was somewhat the same as the beginning of my professional career," said Juarez. "In my amateur career, people knew who I was, but they were like, 'oh, he won't make the Olympic team.' I was always the type of fighter who wasn't the first in line. It took time for me to show that my talent and my hard work in the gym pays off in the ring. My dedication to get the victory is what people want to see. That's how it's always been for me in life. I always had to work for what I wanted."

Born Ricardo Rocky Juarez, the Houston native had his share of fights in the street growing up, but it wasn't because of his name.

"I wasn't called Rocky until I started boxing," said Juarez. "But it is my given name. Some of the media gets tired of hearing this, but my father was going to name me Rocky Marciano Juarez. But he just took out the Marciano and called me Rocky. It wasn't until I started boxing that people knew my middle name was Rocky. It was when I used to have my name on my trunks. They didn't allow nicknames in the amateurs, but I told them, it ain't a nickname."

It wasn't a nickname, but Juarez does have the straight-ahead style of his namesake.

"I was always a brawler," said Juarez. "But from my amateur experience, I learned how to fight different styles. I started off as a brawler, and then I started using my jab, and started using my height as an advantage, when people don't see it as an advantage. I've learned about using distance, and about when to box and when to brawl."

Juarez put together a 145-17 slate as an amateur, including a 68 fight winning streak that was snapped when he lost a highly controversial decision to Kazakhstan's Bekzat Sattarkhanov in the Sydney Olympic Games' Gold medal bout.

Juarez' final amateur bout left a sour taste in his mouth, so he was more than happy to resume his fistic career as a professional, and after making his debut with a four round decision win over Pascali Adorno on January 13, 2001, he ran off 22 straight victories without a loss before losing an upset 12 round decision to highly underrated Humberto Soto in a bout for the vacant WBC featherweight title on August 20, 2005.

Disappointed but not discouraged, Juarez scored back to back TKO wins over Reynaldo Hurtado and Backlin Medrano before getting the call to move up to 130 pounds to take on future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse, and on May 20, 2006, he and Barrera went to war for 12 spirited rounds, with 'The Baby Faced Assassin’ eking out a split decision that many believed Juarez won.

The outcry was so loud from fight fans that a rematch took place on September 16, 2006 in Las Vegas. This time, Barrera outboxed Juarez and won a clear-cut decision, but Rocky still gained fans for his 'never quit' attitude and insistence on making a fight out of what turned into a boxing match.

Opting to move back to the featherweight ranks, Juarez returned to the ring in February of 2007 with an impressive fifth round stoppage of Emmanuel Lucero, and after decisioning Jose Andres Hernandez for the WBA Fedelatin title on May 5th, he squared off against WBC super featherweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez on November 3rd. Juarez would lose a hard fought 12 round decision to Marquez, but after a short break from the ring, the refocused Rocky will be back in the saddle on September 6th to take on former world champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios in what should be an unforgettable war.