Decorated American boxer Jesikah Guerra has announced that she is leaving the amateurs, in which she is a 10-time national champion, to join the professional ranks.
The 19-year-old welterweight, fighting out of Victorville, CA, trains at Elite Boxing under the guidance of her coach, Michael Love, who is also serving as her manager. She is a promotional free agent with growing interest in signing her.
Highlighting her USA Boxing career was her gold medal performance at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games.
“I really feel like it’s the right time to turn pro because women’s boxing is taking off,” Guerra explained why she chose now to go pro. “It’s great to see female fighters getting the recognition they deserve. I want to be part of that change and I have done everything I wanted to in USA Boxing for the past 11 years, including the last five on its Performance Team, and it’s time to move on.
“I have a lot of appreciation for my amateur career as it has prepared me in many ways to be a successful pro. A lot of top athletes in boxing have a strong amateur resume and I think it’s important to your success later on. What I accomplished with USA Boxing by winning 10 national titles something people only dream of and I appreciate those accomplishments. All of that came with a lot of sacrifices. While all my friends were doing normal things, I was training; when they were hanging out, I was training. I put my boxing first above all my relationships and it showed in my performance.”
“Women’s boxing is starting to take off and Jesikah has already been deep in the environment of professional boxing,” Love added. “She has been in camp with both Ceclia Braekhus twice for her fights with Jessica McCaskill, and she recently had the honor of working with Bellator/UFC Champion Cris Cyborg. With Jesikah winning the silver (2020) and gold medals (2021) in the Pan Am Games, along with being a 10-time USA national champion, we feel it’s time to take off the headgear and get to work.
“We have had a lot of discussions about the differences between the amateurs and pros. We are thankful for all USA Boxing has provided for us. We just feel like it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. We already have offers on the table from some promoters, but we are being patient through the process. Jesikah’s accolades speak for themselves.”
Jessica started boxing training when she was only 6 years old, loving the sport from the beginning, and she’s proud to be considered a solid all-around boxer capable of boxing on the outside or power punching. She takes the best from the best, admiring Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, particularly his head movement, power, and overall ring generalship.
“My short-term goal in the pros is to take it one fight at a time and then be world champion,” Guerra said. “I also want to continue advancing women’s boxing by giving exciting, entertaining fight that everyone will enjoy watching.”
“As a boxer,” Love commented, “she has the power and determination to be the best as proven by her amateur accomplishments. I’ve never met a person so passionate about winning. She is solid in and outside the ring. She is 100-percent focused on boxing and puts everything second. You will only find Jesikah in three places – the gym, fitness center or home.
“Jess is the most decorated 147-154 pounder to come out of USA Boxing in the lasts 5-7 years. Just getting in the ring to get a feel for the pro style is what she needs before challenging for a world title. We are interested in quickly positioning for fighters like McCaskill. We feel Jess can be the stronger, more experienced fighter in her weight class. We want to claim what belongs to us!”
She isn’t California dreaming; Jesikah Guerra is on a mission.
