Ada "Ace" Vélez (born September 15, 1969) is a
Puerto Rican female professional boxer from
Dania Beach, Florida
Dania Beach (Dania until 1998) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 31,723. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census ...
who lives in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
. Vélez was brought into boxing by former
women's boxing world champion
Bonnie Canino.
After a successful undefeated amateur career that included a national title, Vélez became the first Puerto Rican to win a women's world boxing championship on January 19, 2001, when she defeated Kathy Williams on a unanimous decision over 10 rounds to win the IBA bantamweight title. Ten months later, she moved up in weight and challenged undefeated
Mary Elizabeth Ortega
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
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* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also cal ...
for the
WIBA super bantamweight title, again winning a 10-round unanimous decision.
Vélez won her first 10 pro fights before suffering her first loss as a professional, in her first defense of the WIBA title. On June 21, 2002,
Melissa Del Valle decisioned Vélez in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...
in the featured bout on an all-women's card featuring world champions
Anne Wolfe
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah
Hannah or Hanna may refer to:
People, biblical figures, and fictional characters
* Hannah (name), a female ...
,
Sumya Anani,
Delia Gonzalez and
Kelsey Jeffries __NOTOC__
Kelsey may refer to:
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* Kelsey, Alberta
* Kelsey, Manitoba
* Rural Municipality of Kelsey, Manitoba (unconnected with Kelsey, Manitoba)
* Kelsey Airport, Manitoba
* SIAST Kelsey Campus, one of four campuses of the Saskatc ...
.
On December 21, she bounced back to reclaim the IBA version of the world bantamweight title by decisioning
Lakeysha Williams over 10 rounds.
Vélez has added the WIBA bantamweight title to her IBA belt on June 28, 2003, when she beat Gonzalez on a seventh-round disqualification.
Vélez traveled to Denmark to defend her WIBA bantamweight title against Anita Christensen. on January 17, 2004, Vélez lost a highly controversial 10 round split decision to Christensen.
Vélez had knocked down Christensen in the 9th round, and looked to be the obvious winner of their encounter. The Danish press strongly criticized this decision, saying on record that Vélez was robbed of her title.
Vélez' current record is 20 wins, 5 loss and 3 draws, with six
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
wins.
She now teaches kids, teens, and adults boxing at Velez Boxing and Fitness in
Oakland Park, Florida
Oakland Park, officially the City of Oakland Park, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 44,229. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metropolita ...
. She makes them do exercise machines, running, strength and conditioning, and boxing.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
History of women in Puerto Rico
The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velez, Ada
1969 births
Living people
Puerto Rican women boxers
Bantamweight boxers
People from Dania Beach, Florida
21st-century American women
Sportspeople from Broward County, Florida
Boxers from Florida