Daisy Ocasio (born November 3, 1964) is a well known Puerto Rican athlete. A participant of

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

and

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

races, she is also a former

female boxer Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses ...

. Ocasio was born Brooklyn, New York. Although she and

Ossie Ocasio Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio (born August 12, 1955) is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the World Cruiserweight Championship from 1982 to 1984. He was also a Top Contender and Heavyweight Challenger in 1979. He scored notable wins against Former ...

shared one

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

, and the same last name, Ocasio, it is not known whether the two have a family connection. Daisy Ocasio had an accomplished career in the running fields, holding various records at different international races. In 1991, she participated as a Track and Field runner at the

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. She also participated at various international championships such as the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: ''Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') is a biennial Sport of athletics, athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish la ...

, and

Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships was an international track and field athletics event organised by the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC), held once every two years from 1967 to 2013. Only athlet ...

. Ocasio's photos were commonly seen on Puerto Rican newspapers during the early 1990s, when she was at the top of her career as a runner. She continued on running, and winning races, until the late 1990s. Many Puerto Ricans came to identify her, just as they did with Angelita Lind during the 1980s, as one of the most important runners of Puerto Rico. That's why, when she announced she would become a female boxer, she caused some shock among many of her fans. On July 23, 1998, she debuted as a boxer, defeating Andrea Figueroa by a

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, ...

in round two at Vega Baja. Only nineteen days later, she beat Lizette Pizarro by a knockout in the first round, also in her hometown. On November 7 of that year, she beat Marischa Sjau, in

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Wort ...

, to mark her

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

debut. By then, she had moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

. On March 3, 1999, she beat Pamela Clarke, by then considered a top fighter, by a knockout in three rounds at Miami. Then, on December 8 came what could be considered as her best victory: facing future world champion Patricia Demick of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, Ocasio won by a six-round unanimous decision. On April 15, 2000, in what would turn out to be her last fight, she was knocked out by future world champion Britt Van Buskirk, in

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

. She retired from women's boxing with a record of five wins and one loss, with three knockout wins. Currently in her 50s, Ocasio now leads a relatively quiet life, and has returned to live full-time in Puerto Rico.

Professional boxing record

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocasio, Daisy 1964 births Living people Track and field athletes from Brooklyn Boxers from Brooklyn Puerto Rican women boxers Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games Puerto Rican female middle-distance runners Light-middleweight boxers Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Pan American Games competitors for Puerto Rico American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent 20th-century American sportswomen

Professional boxing record

See also

External links