Carina "La Reina" Moreno,
fought from 2003 to 2013 at the time of being inducted into the
International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame, and several months after
being inducted, she re-entered the sport by fighting on February 15,
2019, winning a six-round bout against Judith Vivanco. Moreno is now
24-6-0 (6KO). So far in her career in the sport, she has won the WBA
Flyweight, WIBA Straw, WBC Straw, IBA Light Fly; and the WBC Interim
light fly.
When Carina was about seven, her mother María used to take Carina and
her three brothers to the house of a cousin who boxed. One day the
cousin said he would show Carina how to defend herself, and taught her
how to hit the heavy bag he had set up in the garage.
A couple of years later, Carina scored her first knockout ... in an
accident where she ran into a boy with her forehead and the collision
cost him some teeth. "It wasn’t on purpose," says María, although Carina
concedes that "when I was little, I used to fight ... I used to always
be fighting guys".
When Carina was a teenager, her brothers took karate, which she didn't
enjoy "because it wasn't as aggressive as boxing". She ran cross-country
and track while in high school. Nearing age 18, after looking for a real
boxing gym, she enrolled in a cardio kickboxing class at a fitness
center. Her instructor offered her extra classes for a more intense
workout, and soon offered to train her for amateur kickboxing
competition. Moreno competed in some competitions with success.
Hoping to get more competition as a boxer, Carina switched from
kickboxing to boxing under the guidance of trainer Rick Noble, who also
trained Kelsey Jeffries at the time.
Carina began boxing in January 2000. In April of that year she entered
the USA Boxing Everlast National Championships at the Chaparral Center
in Midland, Texas. She won her 106-lb semifinal bout on April 13 with a
42-1 decision over Catherine Herway of San Antonio, Texas. On April 15,
Carina defeated two-time defending national champion Linda Carrillo of
South El Monte in the final by a 17-11 margin. Carina continued to fight
in the Amateurs having a 36-2 amateur boxing record. She turned pro on
July 3, 2003, where she fought in a four-round bout, winning by a
four-round unanimous decision.
Moreno's goal had been to compete in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece
if those had included female boxing. When it became clear that they
would not, Rick Noble told her it was time for her to take the next step
and start over as a professional.
