::Special Profile: Monique Rendon!::

06/30/2008

Photo by Felipe Leon

 

 

 

 

Monique Rendon is a rare sight.  Sitting on a high stool near a boxing ring, there is no other place for the only female judge sanctioned by the World Boxing Council would rather watch a boxing match "once you have experienced a fight from the a judge's stool, you can't enjoy it from any other place.  That is one of the main reason I like to judge.  From that view, you see things and hear things that you would never be able to do from home or from any other seat in the house," Rendon states about the hobby that she has enjoyed since she was eighteen years old and carries out in the border town of Tijuana, MX., and occasionally in the US "I worked on a Timothy Bradley Youth title fight in Ontario not too long ago and it was a great experience."

 

Now at twenty five, Rendon does not remember when boxing was not part of her life, "my father has always been involved with boxing as a judge and as part of the Tijuana Boxing commission, even to this day.  One of my earliest memories is of going to the fights with my father and sitting with the wives of the other judges and referees since my mother does not like boxing so she would not join us."

 

From an early age, Monique bonded with her father Benjamin Rendon thru the art of boxing.  "My father would always speak to me about how to judge a fight.  What to do look for from both fighters."  With that first class tutoring, Monique at the urging of the then commissioner began to judge the amateur boxing tournaments she would routinely accompany her father and so began her apprenticeship.  "My scores weren't official but it gave the commission an idea of my progress and after about six months, they allowed me to officially judge both amateur and professional fights."

 

"At the start of each round my initial thought is that both fighters have the same opportunity to impress me with how much they want to win the round with effective punching, defense, aggressiveness and sportsmanship," Rendon shares he judging style.  "The hardest fights to judge are when there is two fighters with the same style and throwing relatively the same amount of punches.  At that point, you have to use a different criteria to judge every round."

Rendon enjoys searching the internet for footage of old fights "I like the style they had back then.  Especially Muhammad Ali's."  But surprisingly, Monique does not like to pass judgement on the fights she watches on television "even though you can enjoy different angles on television, it is just not the same.  Also, there is many interruptions so I try not to judge at home."

 

With a life long relationship with the sweet science, a myriad of interesting anecdotes can be shared "for my quinceanera (a traditional Mexican coming of age ceremony and party, much like a "Sweet Sixteen") none other than Erik Morales was my date.  I didn't ask him, my father did.  I remember he was very young but I don't remember if he was a world champion yet or not."

 

As a female, Monique realizes that she is in a small minority within the boxing world but one that she fully supports "I completely support female boxing.  In the beginning, I remember that it was very controversial in Tijuana for women to be allowed to fight.  My father and I found ourselves at opposite sides of the argument but my father and the commission eventually did come around.  I do realize that women have different bodies than men but I think that they are more than capable of stepping into a ring and displaying world class boxing."  Her father concurs "i believe that women can very participate in boxing in a very dignified way and for an example I can mention world champions such as Jackie Nava, Laila Ali and Carina Moreno and I think that my daughter's achievements can be also be mentioned in her role as a judge."

 

Obviously her father Benjamin Rendon, a much respected figure in the boxing world himself, is "very proud and happy of the work that my daughter Monique has achieved as a boxing judge.  I think that my daughter is the best female judge at a world class level and I don't think that there is many instances of a father and daughter who work as professional boxing judges."

 

Monique is content in continuing her career "I think its a great hobby and I enjoy it very much.  I would love to get bigger assignments and my dream is to judge a major championship fight."

 

 

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