As Nayeli Rodriguez prepares to land her final jab on Diana Fernandez, the sound of the bell fades at the Gimnasio Universitario UACJ in Ciudad Juárez on Nov. 29, 2025. All she can hear is her own heartbeat, loud and unsteady in her ears.
The clock bleeds down to its final seconds as her gloves feel heavier and heavier with every second that passes, every ounce of training and sacrifice rushing through her mind in a single flash. Sweat splashes from her forehead onto her gloves; her lungs burn, and for a split second, the world feels suspended in silence. When the referee steps forward to lift the winner’s hand, time freezes, and instead of relief, a wave of doubt crashes over her. She thinks something went wrong. Rodriguez lost by unanimous decision in a very intense and close fight.
and won by unanimous decision, a win that propelled her to her next fight against Fernandez for the WBC Silver Flyweight Championship title. It being Rodriguez’s first shot at a title as a pro boxer; she trained twice as hard to make sure she would perform at the highest level possible.
Rodriguez lost the fight on all judges’ scorecards, but that setback meant more than just a defeat.
“I lost, and I accepted it, of course, I’m still not satisfied,” Nayeli Rodriguez said. “As a fighter, I want more, I want better. I am upset with my performance and how I let things affect me. But I am not broken.”
Despite entering the fight as the underdog, Nayeli refused to downplay her own performance. Her effort, endurance, and ability to go the distance against a top-ranked opponent demonstrated that she could hold her own, regardless of the judges’ scorecards.
“I left it a close fight, and the knockout artist did not knock me out. Nor did she beat me in a way that made me look bad as they were expecting,” Nayeli Rodriguez said. “I went the full distance, and she didn’t do much to me to be number two in the world.”
Jose Rodriguez, her dad and her coach, was not upset that his daughter lost, but focused more on how she lost and the events before stepping onto the ring that played a significant role in Nayeli’s performance.
“I know she’s going to come back stronger and hungrier for a comeback,” Jose said. “She has shown me what it is to never quit or give up.”
During her walkout, a moment that usually belongs entirely to her, Nayeli expected to hear La Bikina by Luis Miguel, the song she always uses to center herself before a fight. But halfway down the aisle, the music cuts. Without warning, it switches to Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen. A message that, to Nayeli, felt deliberate and impossible to ignore.
“I mean, of course, I’m a proud American, but to me, a walkout is very important,” Nayeli said. “I’m in a dangerous sport because I don’t know if that’s the last time I’m walking out, god forbid it happens.”
But the disrespect started long before the lights and the cameras. Despite being the main event, Nayeli was forced to wait nearly two hours outside the venue in the cold, standing just feet away from the entrance to her own locker room, needing “permission” to be let in. Time that should have been spent warming up, focusing, and preparing mentally was wasted on waiting.
“I wasn’t treated fairly, you know,” Nayeli said. “And I know those are the things on the B side. When I fought in other promotions, I was on the B side, but I was treated the same as the A side. I was not treated any less.”
And even once inside, she says the interruptions did not stop. Interviews pulled her attention away, dragging her out of her rhythm and mindset. The fight was not just happening in the ring anymore; it was happening everywhere around her. Before a single punch was thrown, Nayeli was already battling exhaustion and distraction.
“I was put through certain circumstances that weren’t going my way, or nothing was necessarily fair,” Nayeli said. “But I learned that no matter what, I have to overcome everything, even if they have me in a room where I got to warm up and sit down on the floor with no chairs, I have to make the best of things.”
Despite the struggles Nayeli faced, her mom and ring assistant during fights, Veronica Rodriguez, believes that this did help her build character.
“There are moments when fighters break. The fans only look at what happens in the ring,” Veronica Rodriguez said. “It is sad to see people next to you when you are at the top but leave you when you are at your lowest. She is demonstrated to me with time, even when she was a little girl, that she is a warrior, and this just shows she can do anything.”
Despite the challenges inside and outside the ring, the fight became a testament to Nayeli’s determination, setting the stage for the next fight on March 14 at El Paso’s County Coliseum, where she will debut with Kings Promotions, her new promotion.
Diego Cruz-Castruita is a photographer and may be reached at [email protected].
