Mariana la Barby Juárez, in addition to being a pioneer of professional boxing in Mexico, has eventually been a host, commentator and, through her participation in the current edition of “Who is The Mask?”, singer and dancer.
Two decade ago, La Barby Juárez won her first world championship in the Mini Fly category. She then moved up a category and was also crowned the best in the world.
Today she considers that it is time to leave the ring and in this interview she tells us the reasons that have made her think about retirement and the future she would like for her daughter, who, by the way, also knows the sport of gloves.
The history of boxing defines you as a pioneer of women’s boxing in Mexico, but how do you describe your career?
It’s been a long road and it’s been exciting, just like La Barby. It’s been a long road, like a roller coaster, with its ups, downs, curves, turns that I couldn’t even imagine. But I am very happy and satisfied with what I have been achieving before retiring.
Retirement is already in the next round?
I think it will be within a year. First God I want to retire with 25 years of career already to thank the public that has followed me. It’s been 22 years since my first world championship, time has passed.
One of those turns you mention in your career must have been that you changed your nickname from Barbie, like the doll, to Barby
It is something that I changed in everything, in my social networks and in my documents and that people saw well and accepted it. We did it because La Barby, my name, is already a registered trademark and we didn’t want problems with Mattel.
And now it turns out that many girls want like Barby and not as much as Barbie
Sometimes I don’t even believe it when I meet a girl who tells me: “I want to be like you”, or who tells me “I’m your fan”. Or even when things go wrong for us in fights and there are some mothers who tell me: “Oh, my daughter cried because you lost.” It is wonderful to identify yourself with the public, with your fans and realize that what you do is going to mark people
Will your daughter be a boxer? Will you let her be?
I would like to say that she will not be a boxer but it is already in her blood and she does it with an ease that I say “rays”. She has already done some amateur fights but she is still in school and I tell her that school is paramount. We’ll see later.
Would you say boxing is something your daughter inherited?
I think so, that it is something of character, and that he grew practically from his first steps in a gym. He has been assimilating and adopting it, it is lake that is part of her. As a child, I had never seen boxing and then I was given that gift, but she has seen it since she was little.
Maybe it’s up to her to earn what men earn with millionaire bags
I think some female boxers today have taken a big step by having fights in arenas like Madison Square Garden. To the extent that women capture roles on high-level stages, we will have more projection and I believe that in five years women will earn what we deserve.