Arely Mucino vs Maria Salinas in Mexico

Arely “Metralleta” Muciño: “I Am A Warrior and Ready for Anything”

 

By Felipe Leon

 

Earlier this year the 29-year-old Arely Muciño (26-3-2, 10 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico, made history in becoming the first Mexican female fighter to hold all of the major sanctioning body titles in the same division at different times.

 

After holding the WBC, IBF and WBA flyweight titles in her 10-year professional career Muciño captured the WBO strap in February with a hard fought majority decision over Monserrat Alarcon.

 

“Capturing the WBO title was a big process,” Muciño said in an exclusive interview with ThePrizeFighters.com.  “It wasn’t only the fight campaign needed to deserve the opportunity but also in being a woman who fought for the respect and value my work deserves.”

 

This Saturday night in her hometown of Monterrey, Mucino will defend her title against former world title challenger Maria “Polvorita” Salinas (19-6-3, 7KO) of nearby Saltillo, Mexico, in a scheduled 10 round affair.  The fight will be the main event presented by Zanfer Promotions and televised by Mexican network Azteca.

 

“I am very excited and happy, it is going to be a war,” Muciño said at the final press conference.  “We are both warriors and ready for anything.  Monterrey has always had my back.  My last fight here was four years ago against Shindo Go and that time the arena was full to the rafters.  I hope this time it is the same.  We have said before, the real winners tomorrow night will be the fans.”

 

Muciño, trained by her father, went pro at the age of 19 and two years later earned her first opportunity for a world title against Susi Kentikian in Germany for the WBO and WBA titles but the fight ended in a No-Contest when the defending world champion suffered a deep gash to the scalp in the opening seconds of the third round.

 

Known for an aggressive boxing style, Muciño got back on the horse in her very next fight capturing the vacant IBF title with a TKO win over American Chantal Cordova.  She defended the title three times before absorbing a perfectly placed left hook by Ava Knight ending her night in the second round back in 2011.

 

The popular Monterrey fighter with the backing of her then promotor HG Boxing got another opportunity for a world title in her very next fight beating former world champion Melissa McMorrow via a split decision for the interim WBA strap in early 2012.  She faced Mariana “Barbie” Juarez in her first bid for the WBC green and gold belt later that year but came up short losing a contested split decision.

 

It wasn’t until 2014 when Muciño got her shot once again for the WBC title and this time she took full advantage of it by defeating Japan’s Shindo Go with a unanimous decision.  Unfortunately for her, she then lost the title in her first defense against Mexico City’s Jessica “Kika” Chavez.

 

The loss and that fight was the culmination of issues with her then promotional company Promociones del Pueblo. Muciño and her team decided to take matters into their own hands and look to sever ties, which she did, but it cost her a year of her career.  With her release letter in hand she contacted her current company Zanfer and signed a multi-year deal.

 

“I left that promoter and by doing that submitted myself to a process where I wasn’t able to fight,” Muciño explained.  “They would stop me from fighting one way or another so I let a year go by.  Once I had my release letter I knocked on the doors Zanfer and asked for an opportunity.  They believed in me and gave me a chance.”

 

She came back in late 2016 and strung together four solid wins against Judith Rodriguez, Guadalupe Martinez, Kandy Sandoval and Tenkai Tsunami before getting her opportunity against Alarcon.

 

“Winning that title was the culmination of that struggle, the tears and sadness I felt during that hiatus,” she said.  “God’s plan is perfect and I am a woman that tries to make the best of it.  I knew I just needed to keep working because my time would come and I would get the opportunity for that title and I needed to be ready.”

 

In her first defense Muciño will face the well-experienced Salinas.  The also 29-year-old will be in her fourth bid for a world title this Saturday night against Muciño coming up short the three previous times.  The closest she has gotten to calling herself a world champion was a draw against Naoko Shibata in Japan in late 2015.

 

Salinas has strung together four wins against questionable opposition in Esmeralda Torres, Aholibama Ramon, Edith de Jesus Flores and Brenda Fernandez.

 

“She is a tough and dangerous fighter,” Muciño said of her next opponent, also a ten-year veteran.  “Her record says it all.  I don’t overlook any of my opponents.  I am a warrior and I am ready for anything and to win at all cost.”

 

The fight marks the first one for Muciño in her hometown of Monterrey, a fact that motivates her even more to put on a great showing.

 

“I’m happy, nostalgic and thankful with God because he puts everything in its place,” she stated regarding fighting in her backyard.  “Returning after four years and now with another title for my people, I will be able to share with them everything that it took to win it.  I am motivated and excited to leave everything in the ring, for the fans to leave happy after a great fight and with God’s blessing that win is ours.”

 

Salinas

 

Salinas said she is ready to fight in her opponent’s hometown since it is not the first time that she does it traveling as far as Japan in search of a world title.

 

“It motivates me to go to different cities and face the local fighters,” Salinas said recently to a national Mexican sports magazine.  “I know Arely, her time has come and gone, I will take her world title in front of her home crowd and will make my dream come true of being a world champion.  I promise a war in the ring.”

 

As far as the future for Muciño, even she doesn’t know as she is not seeing past her next opponent.  “There are a lot of things my team and I have talked about for my career but what is most important is this Saturday night.  I don’t like to neglect the present, it is going to be a war and that win will be ours.  After this fight then I can speak about future plans.”

###