Maricela Cornejo is California dreaming and making Ring City USA debut

Maricela Cornejo makes her 18th trip into the professional boxing ring on Thursday, March 18, for the Ring City USA event.

Boxer Maricela Cornejo returns to the ring on the Ring City USA March 18 card after 18 months for her 18th professional bout in what’s been an unconventional boxing story.

Cornejo (13-4, 5 KOs) has done most of her pugilistic learning as a professional. She has challenged for three world titles and has fought some of the best competition, including two bouts with Franchon Crews-Dezurn.

Today, Cornejo is a boxing veteran despite not picking up the sport until she was 23 years old.

“I started at 23 boxing,” Cornejo told FanSided. “So I knew I had something when I stood toe to toe with a professional boxer, a girl that I looked up to at Wild Card, and I only had three months of training. And I sparred her. Trust me. She was trying to whoop my a** because she was my professional, and everybody was paying attention to me.”

Cornejo’s route to Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym was a winding road. Originally from a small town in Washington state, Cornejo spent several years in Seatle before receiving an opportunity to pursue her acting and entertainment dreams in Los Angeles.

“I actually was working with a construction company brought me out here, Healthcare Technical Services, HTS brought me out here,” described Cornejo. “I was working for an attorney out in Tacoma, Washington. And I met him through mutual friends. And he offered me a job.”

The job was in L.A., and Cornejo had big aspirations waiting to be realized.

“I always knew I wanted to come out to LA, and that was my opportunity,” said Cornejo. “I knew I wanted something more.”

Cornejo ventured out to L.A. to pursue her dreams. Things took a turn when her employer laid her off. Cornejo had some time on her hands and decided that she wanted to fight. She was inspired by Gina Carano, who was acting as well. The two fields meshed in Cornejo’s mind. She wanted to build herself into a fighter so she could punch her way onto the stage.

Maricela Cornejo is a boxer with many dreams with a penchant for making them come true.

“So Gina Carano, at that time with MMA, she got a movie with Haywire, and I was like, ‘Huh, this is pretty cool,'” said Cornejo. “I’ve always wanted to fight, you know, but I was in sports growing up and high school and everything. In college, I played college volleyball and fastpitch as well. I had hand speed and hip thrust. I picked up pretty well with boxing. So I was like, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to literally fight my way into Hollywood.”

Cornejo took to boxing. She trained at the Wild Card Gym and spent some time in Las Vegas gearing up for her professional boxing career. Cornejo’s boxing education took a quantum leap after teaming up with legendary trainer Buddy McGirt.

“I reached out to one of the guys that he [McGirt] trained, and I just reached out to him. I was like, ‘Hey, I see that Buddy is in town,'” said Cornejo.

Her friend brought her to the gym, and Cornejo came to watch and learn. McGirt’s son knew who Cornejo was because of her popularity on social media. McGirt took an interest in Cornejo due to her magnetic presence and wanted to see her skills.

“I was just watching. He’s like, ‘What? You’re just going to sit there? Like, did you bring your stuff?’ I said, ‘Oh, yeah, I brought it.'”

Cornejo and McGirt clicked immediately. He appreciated her energy and willingness to learn. McGirt also saw that Cornejo had talent.

“It was great,” recalled Cornejo enthusiastically. “We understand each other, and he saw that I had potential to become better because I’d listen. And right away, when he tells me something, I can pick up pretty quick. So yeah, so that’s how it started.”

Cornejo is ready to use the magic she’s accumulated from McGirt to further her boxing ambitions when she fights Alma Ibarra in Puerto Rico on March 18. She’s filled with optimism and ambition, and it’s infectious.

Cornejo has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, hosts a web series called Face to Face, and is about to become an author. Her children’s book, Auntie Love, is available for preorder. Cornejo has many talents, but boxing is at the heart of it all.

You can watch Maricela vs. Alma Ibarra on Thursday, March 18, on NBCSN, as part of the Ring City USA card featuring Alberto Machado vs. Angel Fierro. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET.