Jorge Adolfo Páez (born October 27, 1965) is a Mexican actor, circus performer and former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. In boxing he held the WBO and

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

titles. Paez's nickname of ''"El Maromero"'' is in honor of the

somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatic exercise in which a person's body rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the head. A somersault can be performed forwards, backwards ...

(referred to in Spanish as ''"maroma"'') acts he performs at the circus. It was in the circus that he learned acrobatic moves he would later use in the boxing ring. Páez is also the father of Azriel Páez, Jorge Páez Jr., and Airam Páez.

Personal life

Paez has been a circus performer in his northwest Mexico hometown since he was very young. Jorge started boxing in

San Luis Río Colorado San Luis Río Colorado is a city and also the name of its surrounding municipality in the state of Sonora, Mexico. In the 2020 census, the city had a population of 176,685. The city is the fourth-largest community in the state, and the munici ...

. He is also the father of

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

prospect Azriel Páez and WBC Youth Intercontinental

champion Jorge Páez Jr.

Professional career

Early years

Paez began boxing professionally on November 16, 1984, knocking out Efren Treno in three rounds.

Featherweight champion

From there on, he built a string of wins that led him to challenge

champion

Calvin Grove Calvin Grove (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who was the Featherweight champion of the world. Professional career Grove turned pro in 1982 and in 1988 captured the IBF featherweight title with a TKO over Antonio R ...

in boxing's last 15 round world title fight. Paez was trailing on all three scorecards, but dropped the champion three times in the last round. The knockdowns provided an edge on the scorecards, making Paez IBF featherweight champion by a unanimous decision. He defended the title eight times, including a knockout in 11 against Grove in a rematch, a stoppage win former world champion Stevie Cruz and a split decision against future world champion

Troy Dorsey Troy Glenn Dorsey (born November 19, 1962) is a former U.S. boxer and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight divisions. Known predominantly for his indomitable spirit, amazing physical endurance and a propensi ...

. He then won the WBO featherweight title in a unification bout against

Louie Espinoza Louie Espinoza (born May 12, 1962 in Globe, Arizona) is an American boxer in the Featherweight division. He now resides in Chandler, Arizona. Espinoza turned pro in 1982 and won the Vacant WBA Super Bantamweight Title in 1987 by defeating Tomm ...

(in a rematch of their 1989 fight that ended in a draw) by split decision. Paez then vacated his titles and moved up in weight, only to lose to IBF super featherweight champion Tony Lopez. Paez continued to fight, but he had mixed results versus former world champions Lupe Suarez and Tracy Spann; he and Suarez drew in 10 rounds, and he beat Spann by a 10-round decision.

Lightweight

On October 10, 1991, Paez moved up to

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight ...

and fought against

Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, ligh ...

for the WBC, WBA and IBF lightweight titles but lost by unanimous decision. On November 6, 1992, Paez fought against future world champion Rafael Ruelas for the NABF lightweight title, losing by TKO in the 10 round. On July 17, 1993, he lost to

Freddie Pendleton Freddie Pendleton (born January 5, 1963) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 2001. Pendleton won his first title in October 1985 knocking out Darryl Martin (9-2) in the 6th round earning him the Pennsylvania State ...

by a decision in twelve for the IBF lightweight title On July 29, 1994, he was given a shot at the vacant WBO lightweight title against rising superstar

Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...

. Paez lost by a knockout in round two.

Later Years

Paez then went up against WBA super featherweight champion Genaro Hernandez in a non-title bout, losing by TKO in the 8th round due to cuts. On August 17, 1996, he won the WBC Continental Americas super featherweight regional title by knocking out Narciso Valenzuela in 3 rounds. Paez would then lose that title in his next match against Julian Wheeler but regained it by beating Wheeler in the rematch. On August 7, 1997, he lost by a knockout in eight rounds to

Angel Manfredy Angel Manfredy (born October 30, 1974) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional boxer. Angel Manfredy was a popular fighter in the late 1990s. Personal Manfredy, nicknamed ''El Diablo'' (''The Devil'') because of his reckless lifestyl ...

. After three victories, Paez lost via a devastating one-punch knockout in seven rounds to

Augie Sanchez Augustine Anthony Sanchez (born November 17, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.) is an American boxing trainer and retired featherweight boxer. As an amateur boxer, he was the US featherweight champion, known for being the last American to defeat Fl ...

in May 1999. In his next bout in October 1999, Paez boxed future lightweight champion

Jose Luis Castillo Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

, losing by KO in the fifth round. Paez continued to box on over the next few years, winning a long string of bouts against a lower level of opposition.

Injuries and Retirement

Paez was supposed to fight

Jesús Chávez Jesús Gabriel Sandoval Chávez (; born November 12, 1972) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2010. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBC super featherweight title from 2003 to 2004, and the IBF ...

on March 29, 2003. However, it was discovered that Paez suffered from brain swelling, putting the fight with Jesús Chávez and his career in serious jeopardy. Despite these findings, Paez fought on, and on December 5, 2003, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, he defeated Scott McCraken by a ten-round split decision in what would be Paez's final match. His overall record was 79-14-5 (51 KOs).

Professional boxing record

Outside the Ring

In 1993 he made the movie '' Zapatos Viejos'', where he starred alongside

Gloria Trevi Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known as Gloria Trevi (), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television hostess, music video director and businesswoman known as "The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop". ...

, playing "Ernesto". In 1995, he made his Hollywood acting debut in the low-budget movie '' Dirty Money''. Paez's name surfaced in the 2004

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

investigation against promoter

Bob Arum Robert Arum (born December 8, 1931) is an American lawyer and boxing promoter. He is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. Prior to becoming a boxing promoter, Arum was employed as an attorn ...

. The FBI was investigating whether Paez's win over

Verdell Smith Verdell Smith, a.k.a. Tommy Bowles, a.k.a. Tim Brooks (born November 1, 1963) is an American former professional boxer. Smith, a journeyman fighter, appeared on the front page of the May 10, 2004, edition of ''The New York Times'', as he was the ...

was a fixed fight or not. Paez had a brief supporting role with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

as an associate of

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...

, and accompanied him to the ring at the '' No Way Out'' pay-per-view event on February 15, 2004. Paez also appeared in Mysterio's music video for his song from the ''

WWE Originals ''WWE Originals'' is a soundtrack album by WWE. Released on January 13, 2004 by Columbia Records, it features original songs recorded by various WWE wrestlers. The album was a commercial success, reaching number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. R ...

'' album, "Crossing Borders."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paez, Jorge Boxers from Baja California Sportspeople from Mexicali International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Organization champions Mexican male boxers 1965 births Living people Featherweight boxers