As Jorge Tovar Jr. prepared to land a jab at Juan Francisco Lopez, the entire El Paso County Coliseum erupted, chanting his last name. The timer wound down, and the energy inside the arena spilled out into the parking lot, where the roar of the crowd could still be heard chanting his name.
Tovar did not just fight—he poured his heart out in front of a packed coliseum competing in the middleweight division. He secured a Technical Knockout (TKO) victory in round 5. This win was more than just a victory for him; it was the culmination of the relentless hard work he put in during training camp that consisted of daily training and following a careful diet, that he said is finally paying off.
With this fight, Tovar remains undefeated, holding a perfect record of 11 wins, eight by knockout. He is now ranked No. 18 out of 274 boxers in the U.S. and No. 98 out of 1,728 in the world (as of March 2, 2025).
“We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but we came prepared. I was not 100%leading up to the fight, I was not even going to fight today to begin with but thanks to God I was able to be here tonight and show out,” Tovar said.
Originally scheduled for Nov. 23, 2024, Tovar’s fight was postponed to this Feburary after he suffered a sciatic nerve injury. The setback not only delayed the fight but also impacted the entire Ring Wars event. A sciatic nerve injury is one of the toughest challenges a boxer can face, testing both physical and mental strength.
“I was bummed out to know I couldn’t make the fight, but it also is like a blessing in disguise,” Tovar said. “I learned a lot, I went through a spiritual war for this whole training camp, but I feel like my whole life has changed throughout this camp.”
Determined to come back stronger, Tovar dedicated himself to a careful recovery. He worked alongside Victor Aranda, who also secured a victory against Eduardo Monrreal on Feb. 22 at the El Paso County Coliseum. Aranda, who holds a perfect record of five wins all by knockout has trained alongside Tovar at Champ Camp since August and resumed in January.
“Victor has a great amateur career and right now as a pro, he’s four [wins], and all four are knockouts, so it’s nothing but great work when I train with him,” Tovar said. “Iron sharpens iron, so I have great work at Champ Camp where there’s a lot of local amateurs and pro boxers with talent.”
Tovar coming out of the injury so quickly raised concerns on whether he should fight at the Ring Wars event, but assistant coach Jackie Hout knew that he would overcome this hard obstacle and triumph from this hard phase.
“It was heartbreaking once we found out he got injured, especially with the type of injury, which had been bothering him for a good majority of camp, but he was able to push through it,” Hout said. “One sparring and training session, he just almost couldn’t walk for a week or two which made us pull out of the fight.”
Tovar said the sciatic nerve injury almost made him walk away from boxing entirely. Beyond the physical struggles, he said he also faced mental battles that tested his will to continue.
“I definitely went through a lot this training camp, but I believe this training camp not only made me a better boxer but changed my life,” Tovar said. “In this training camp I found God and that is the truth it feels as if I am born again. I am here for a reason, and I showed it tonight.”
Now, with his latest victory in the books, Tovar is already looking ahead to his next fight. He plans to return as early as May or July, with a potential fight back in El Paso or in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Determined to keep his undefeated streak, Tovar is ready to continue his journey and prove why he belongs among the best in the division.
Diego Cruz-Castruita is a staff photographer and can be reached at [email protected] and @dddieggoo11 on Instagram.
