Juan Meza (born Jesus Fernández, March 18, 1956 – July 20, 2023), also known for his nickname Kid Meza, was a Mexican professional boxer who was world Super Bantamweight champion. Meza was born in Mexicali, Mexico.

Juan Meza
Born
Jesus Fernández

(1956-03-18)March 18, 1956
DiedJuly 20, 2023(2023-07-20) (aged 67)
Other namesKid
Statistics
Weight(s)Super bantamweight
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights54
Wins45
Wins by KO37
Losses9

Short biography

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Juan Meza was born as Jesus Fernández on March 18, 1956. Prior to beginning his career, and for undisclosed reasons, he changed his name officially to Juan Meza.

Meza was a popular fighter among Latin Americans, specially those of Mexican descent who lived in North America. His trainer was the well known boxing personality, Jimmy Montoya.

Juan Meza died on July 20, 2023, at the age of 67.[1]

Professional career

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Juan Meza debuted on September 23, 1977, knocking out Elias Rodriguez in three rounds at Tucson.

Meza lost for the first time on his second bout, being beaten on points after four rounds by Valentin Holguin on October 13 in Los Angeles. Six days later, he knocked out Davey White in Las Vegas. Eight days later, he had a rematch with Holguin, over the extremely rare five rounds schedule distance. He avenged his first loss by outpointing Holguin.

On November 3, he scored his first knockout in the first round, defeating Horacio Pintado in Los Angeles. But, in his next fight, on November 18, he lost by a four-round decision to Carlos Ortiz, (not to be confused with the Puerto Rican world champion boxer and Hall of Famer of the same name) in San Diego.

Meza began rising in boxing's ranks when he knocked Ortiz out in the first round on December 16, also at San Diego. He won 29 of his next 31 bouts, earning fame, particularly in the West Coast of the United States.

Meza got his first world championship try, when he faced Wilfredo Gómez in Atlantic City, for the WBC world Super Bantamweight title. Meza lost to Gómez by a sixth-round knockout.[2]

After losing to Gómez, Mesa took off one year from boxing. During this time, Gómez left the championship vacant; to challenge for the WBC's world Featherweight championship, and Jaime Garza won it by knocking out Bobby Berna for the vacant championship.

Meanwhile, Meza returned to boxing on April 26, 1983, knocking out Roberto Castillo in four rounds at Las Vegas.

Meza traveled to Thailand during July of that year, to fight Pongpan Sorphayathai on the 13th. of that month. He beat the Thai fighter by a third-round knockout.

On November 19, he fought Javier Barajas in Las Vegas, beating Barajas by a ten-round decision. The pair had a rematch, on May 16, 1984 in Las Vegas, and Meza won once again, by a ten-round decision. After that, he was ranked as the number one Super Bantamweight challenger once again by the WBC.

On November 3, he was given a second try at the championship when he faced Garza, in Kingston, New York. Meza became the first challenger in boxing history to be dropped in round one, get up and knock the world champion out in the same first round, when he beat Garza to become the WBC world Super Bantamweight champion that day.

On April 19, 1985 he and Julio César Chávez co-starred in an undercard, defending their world championships against Mike Ayala and Ruben Castillo, respectively, at the Inglewood Forum, in Inglewood, California. Both champions retained their titles with sixth-round knockout wins.

On August 18, he and Lupe Pintor squared off in a fight that garnered major interest among Mexican boxing fans. Meza lost his title in Tijuana that night, when Pintor dropped him twice, outpointing him over twelve rounds.[3]

Pintor lost his title, in turn, to Samart Payakaroon, who gave Meza a chance to recover the WBC world Super Bantamweight championship on December 10, 1986 in Bangkok. Despite not fighting for more than a year, Meza lasted until the twelfth round with Payakaroon, who proceeded to knock him out in that round.

Meza had two fights in 1987, beating Lenny Valdez in the first round by knockout, and then losing to Javier Marquez by a knockout in round eight on October 30. After his fight with Marquez, he retired for ten years.

On February 14, 1997, he returned to boxing with a knockout victory, beating Esteban Lozoya in four rounds at Mexicali. But, in his next fight, he met fringe contender Wilfredo Negron of Puerto Rico, being knocked out by the Puerto Rican in the first round at Miami. Meza then retired for the second time.

Professional boxing record

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54 fights 45 wins 9 losses
By knockout 37 4
By decision 8 5
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
54 Loss 45–9 Wilfredo Negrón TKO 1 (8) 1997-03-22 Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
53 Win 45–8 Esteban Lozoya KO 4 (8) 1997-02-14 Salón Casa Blanca, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
52 Loss 44–8 Javier Marquez TKO 8 (10) 1987-10-30 Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
51 Win 44–7 Lenny Valdez TKO 1 (10) 1987-08-28 Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
50 Loss 43–7 Samart Payakaroon TKO 12 (12) 1986-12-10 Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok, Thailand For WBC super bantamweight title
49 Loss 43–6 Lupe Pintor UD 12 (12) 1985-08-18 Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Lost WBC super bantamweight title
48 Win 43–5 Mike Ayala TKO 6 (12) 1985-04-19 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. Retained WBC super bantamweight title
47 Win 42–5 Jaime Garza KO 1 (12) 1984-11-03 Midtown Neighborhood Center, Kingston, U.S. Won WBC super bantamweight title
46 Win 41–5 Javier Barajas SD 10 (10) 1984-05-16 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
45 Win 40–5 Javier Barajas UD 10 (10) 1983-11-19 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
44 Win 39–5 Pongpan Sorphayathai TKO 3 (12) 1983-07-13 Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
43 Win 38–5 Roberto Castillo TKO 8 (10) 1983-04-20 Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
42 Loss 37–5 Wilfredo Gómez TKO 6 (15) 1982-03-27 Playboy Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. For WBC super bantamweight title
41 Win 37–4 Antonio Guido TKO 9 (10) 1982-01-30 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
40 Win 36–4 Lupe Martinez TKO 4 (?) 1981-10-04 Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
39 Win 35–4 Carlos Mendoza TKO 10 (12) 1981-08-21 Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
38 Win 34–4 James Martinez MD 10 (10) 1981-05-28 Hacienda Hotel, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
37 Win 33–4 Javier Flores TKO 8 (10) 1981-03-26 Hacienda Hotel, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
36 Win 32–4 Jose De la Cruz Lopez TKO 2 (?) 1981-03-12 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
35 Win 31–4 Luis Avila TKO 6 (10) 1980-12-19 Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
34 Win 30–4 Alfonso Rodriguez UD 10 (10) 1980-11-20 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
33 Win 29–4 Pedro Chavez KO 3 (10) 1980-10-09 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
32 Win 28–4 Francisco Marquez TKO 1 (?) 1980-08-21 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
31 Loss 27–4 Carlos Mendoza SD 10 (10) 1980-06-26 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
30 Win 27–3 Alex Garcia KO 3 (10) 1980-05-22 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
29 Win 26–3 Jorge Altamirano KO 3 (10) 1980-03-26 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
28 Win 25–3 Ruben Moreno KO 6 (10) 1980-03-06 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
27 Win 24–3 Simon Fortanelle KO 2 (10) 1980-01-20 Civic Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
26 Win 23–3 Roy Hernandez KO 1 (10) 1979-11-08 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
25 Win 22–3 Carlos Cantu KO 3 (10) 1979-10-24 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
24 Win 21–3 Mucio Nava KO 2 (10) 1979-10-03 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
23 Win 20–3 Humberto Lara TKO 5 (10) 1979-08-16 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
22 Win 19–3 Rosendo Ramirez TKO 5 (10) 1979-06-14 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
21 Win 18–3 Jose Luis Cruz TKO 4 (10) 1979-03-21 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
20 Win 17–3 Noel Arriesgado UD 10 (10) 1979-01-30 Blaisdell Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
19 Win 16–3 James Martinez SD 10 (10) 1979-01-09 Civic Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
18 Win 15–3 Leonel Valencia KO 2 (8) 1978-12-12 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S.
17 Win 14–3 Mauro Fuentes TKO 2 (6) 1978-11-22 Civic Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
16 Win 13–3 Jose Luis Lara TKO 5 (10) 1978-11-15 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
15 Loss 12–3 William Berry UD 10 (10) 1978-08-02 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
14 Win 12–2 Alfonso Cirillo KO 1 (10) 1978-07-05 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
13 Win 11–2 Pascual Villareal KO 2 (?) 1978-06-26 Bakersfield, California, U.S.
12 Win 10–2 Jose Luis Garcia KO 1 (?) 1978-06-14 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
11 Win 9–2 Luis Rico TKO 2 (8) 1978-05-24 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
10 Win 8–2 Adun Aguilar TKO 1 (?) 1978-05-10 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
9 Win 7–2 Rudy Ambriz SD 4 (4) 1978-04-28 Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
8 Win 6–2 Julian Gaxiola KO 1 (6) 1978-02-12 Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
7 Win 5–2 Carlos Ortiz KO 1 (4) 1977-12-16 Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
6 Loss 4–2 Carlos Ortiz SD 4 (4) 1977-11-18 Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
5 Win 4–1 Horacio Pintado KO 1 (?) 1977-11-03 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
4 Win 3–1 Valentin Holguin PTS 5 (5) 1977-10-27 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
3 Win 2–1 Davey White TKO 2 (6) 1977-10-19 Marina Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
2 Loss 1–1 Valentin Holguin PTS 4 (4) 1977-10-13 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Elias Rodriguez TKO 3 (6) 1977-09-23 Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tribute to Juan Kid Meza". Fight.tv. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. ^ Katz, Michael (28 March 1982). "Gomez Stops Meza in 6th to Retain Title". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  3. ^ "Challenger Guadalupe Pintor, a hard-hitting veteran, won..." Los Angeles Times. 19 August 1985. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
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Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBC super bantamweight champion
November 3, 1984 – August 18, 1985
Succeeded by