Lorenza Saldano - The One and Only

[size=150:1uksl3gt]Lorenza Saldano

Age: 29
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Dark Blue
Nationality: Mexican

Appearance:

Spoiler:

History:
Looking at the heights she has scaled in the world of professional boxing, it is remarkable to examine the depths from out of which a young Lorenza Saldano climbed. She was born into poverty in Tijuana, Mexico, in the early hours of the morning of December 21, 1983. Her mother was a minimum-wage worker at a textile factory, while her father—whom Lorenza never met—was an enforcer for a local Baja California drug lord. As a child, she spent much of her time with her maternal grandparents, who took care of her while her mother was working or was otherwise preoccupied.

She was known as a problem child from an early age, tormenting her grandparents and cousins and blatantly disrespecting her teachers in school. Ironically, she rarely got into fights with her peers, and was never one to instigate them—at least, not at first. When a confrontation was inevitable, however, she responded with brutal force and efficiency, which, as she developed from a child into an adolescent, resulted in her rivals suffering cracked ribs, dislocated shoulders, shattered jaws, and numerous other heinous injuries. She had several run-ins with the law—due both to her fights and her on-again, off-again drug use—but her mother and grandparents consistently came to her rescue, keeping her out of jail.

But she would not learn from her mistakes, and she would take one step too far. At the age of fourteen, she beat her eleven year-old second cousin, Rico, into unconsciousness. He would go to the hospital with multiple broken bones, as well as internal bleeding. Where they had tolerated her fighting outside of the home, her family would not allow her to turn her violent tendencies on them. Lorenza was sent away to live with her aunt and uncle, who were living as naturalized American citizens in Lubbock, Texas.

Her uncle, who had immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s and had served with the United States Marines during Operation Desert Storm, did not tolerate any improper behavior from his neice. When he took her in, he had promised his sister—Lorenza's mother—that she would return to Mexico a changed woman, and he intended to make good on that promise. He laid into her for even the smallest offense, and kept her on a short leash whenever she left the house. She attended anger management sessions three days a week. Her uncle also pushed her to excel in school, keeping her up into the wee hours of the morning practicing English and math, and polishing her writing assignments. Ultimately, she would finish every day far too exhausted from this rigorous routine to even think of causing trouble.

Slowly, but surely, the seemingly irredeemable fourteen year-old hellcat who had come northwards from Mexico blossomed into a diligent, respectful—if a little cold and distant—sixteen year-old young woman.

It was around this time that Lorenza would be introduced to the world of boxing. While she no longer needed to attend anger management, her uncle still desired to find a more constructive outlet for any destructive tendencies she might have. Luckily, one of his fellow Gulf War veterans operated a boxing gym in Lubbock, and, once Lorenza had a chance to try out the sport, she rapidly grew to enjoy it, albeit in her typical muted fashion. She would begin her amateur career in the year 2000. At the tender age of seventeen, she was already a force to be reckoned with, knocking out all five opponents she faced in amateur bouts—four of them in the first round—before graduating to the professional level early in 2002.

Her first professional fight was over almost before it began. Her opponent had once been an up-and-coming powerhouse in the boxing world, but, by this time, was almost thirty years old and had long since left the spotlight. Lorenza went after her with almost reckless abandon, and, hardly a minute into the bout, knocked the older fighter out with a hard right hook.

This result might have lulled her into a false sense of security, for her illustrious career was very nearly derailed in her second bout. Facing another young boxer, Lorenza was caught unprepared and was battered throughout the first and second rounds. This culminated in the third round, when she was knocked to the canvas by a brutal haymaker. Beating the count, a humiliated Lorenza counterattacked, managing to score a knockdown of her own as the round came to an end. After three more rounds of relentless strike and counterstrike, with both girls scoring several more knockdowns, Lorenza would finally finish her opponent off with a punishing jab which sent the other fighter sprawling unconscious on the canvas.

Her confidence tempered by that second bout, Lorenza would train even harder than she did before. It would become increasingly difficult to find opponents who would stand against her, as she earned early-round knockouts in her next six fights. She earned increasing attention amongst the big-time promoters of the female boxing world, and, on July 14, 2005, at the age of twenty-one, she traveled back to her home country to participate in a title bout in Mexico City. Following a tremendous eight-round fight, Lorenza would knock out the champion as that eighth round drew to a close, earning herself the Global Boxing Union belt. Unknown to her, her mother was in attendance that night to watch her daughter become the world champion, and the two had an emotional reunion following Lorenza's victory.

Her next bout, against the holder of the International Boxing Alliance title belt, lasted only three rounds, and resulted in the unification of the two championships by Lorenza. She would defend these titles against three contenders over the next year, none standing much of a chance against the undefeated champion. With a 13-0-0 record—all thirteen victories coming by way of knockout—Lorenza was now considered one of the world's greatest boxers, and began to be known by a number of intimidating nicknames: the Tijuana Tiger (La Tigresa de Tijuana), La Conquistadora, and the one that Lorenza herself was the most fond of, The One and Only (La Única e Incomparable).

After moving her mother to a new home in Amarillo, Texas, Lorenza would fight two non-title bouts during the summer of 2007, winning both handily with first-round knockouts. Her next title bout, however, would be her toughest fight since the brutal six-round bout back in the summer of 2002. Her opponent would manage to knock her down in the third round—only the third opponent who managed to do so—though she would exact some revenge in the fourth, as her opponent hit the canvas twice. As the match wore on, with both women slowing down but neither yielding, the fight became sloppier, with errant punches slipping through their defenses to send their heads spinning. Lorenza suffered a cut under her right eye, while she inflicted one of equal severity to her opponent's cheek. After an exhausting and somewhat bloody nine-round battle, Lorenza managed to floor her opponent for good just before the ninth round came to a close, retaining her title and earning her sixteenth knockout victory.

After fighting sixteen times in the first six years of her career, Lorenza would begin to take longer breaks between bouts, spending time with her mother, aunt, and uncle, as well as pursuing other interests. She would successfully defend her titles five times over the next four years, as well as fighting two non-championship bouts. In her off time, she would donate much of her money and time to various charitable causes, as well as taking up activities like skiing and hiking.

What would ultimately prove to be her final fight as a professional boxer would take place in late August, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, against a Puerto Rican girl, Carmen Rodriguez, who also had a perfect undefeated record. The match, scheduled for ten rounds, would see both fighters go the distance, the first time in Lorenza's career that she did not win via knockout. She was not knocked down once or twice, but six times over the course of what became a bloody brawl, but managed to give as good as she got. Each of the first five rounds were eminently even, as they traded knockdowns and bullied each other about the ring with hard hooks and mighty uppercuts. Lorenza would claim round six, forcing her opponent into a corner and pounding her until she dropped to the canvas. She would receive the same treatment in round seven. She would win the eighth round, and then lose the ninth.

By the tenth round, both fighters were badly bruised and suffering swelling, with multiple cuts present around their eyes and lips. The last round was once again an even fight, and, when the final bell rang, both women were still standing. The match went to the judges, who, in a split decision, declared Lorenza the victor.

The fight seemed to change Lorenza's disposition profoundly, however, as she gave up on the hobbies she had begun to take an interest in and became increasingly reclusive. About a month after the fight, she announced her retirement from professional boxing, and, for a time, dropped off of the grid entirely.

Eventually, she would resurface, once again in Japan, to challenge the hardcore fighters of AFW, perhaps in an attempt to vindicate herself following her "unsatisfactory" final boxing bout.

Personality:
Emotionally and psychologically, Lorenza can be painted in broad, almost stereotypical swathes. She was a troubled child with a violent streak who fell in with the wrong crowd. Even after her uncle managed to reform her, she remained cold and emotionally distant, even towards those who were close to her. The one time in her life she seemed to be beginning to soften, the toughest boxing match of her life immediately threw her back into her old ways. She shows no mercy, has a high pain tolerance, and will not stop fighting until there is a definitive winner and loser.

Preferred Matches:
Lorenza fights with her fists. She is able to use several wrestling moves to painful effect, but she will always come back around to her boxing training, especially in a tough fight. She is, however, more than happy to have a hardcore match, with both weapons and no-holds-barred brawling allowed. That is, in fact, the exact sort of match she joined AFW to fight in.

Relationships:
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Record:
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