03/20/2025
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
On Saturday, March 22, at the Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, California, live on ProBox TV, Jasmine Artiga (12-0-1, 6 KOs) will finally get her long-awaited shot at a world title. Standing in her way is Regina Chavez (8-4-3, 1 KO), with the vacant WBA Women’s Super Flyweight Championship up for grabs. It’s a moment that has been years in the making—not just for Artiga, but for her entire family. If she emerges victorious, she will become Tampa, Florida’s first-ever boxing world champion.
But to truly understand the significance of this fight, you have to start with her father.
Eddie Artiga, Jasmine’s father and trainer, was once a promising boxer himself. He moved out west in pursuit of his dreams, chasing a world title of his own. However, the reality of boxing politics quickly set in. Without the right connections, opportunities were scarce. Eventually, Eddie made the painful decision to leave the sport behind and return to Tampa, where he started a family. His dream remained unfinished—until his daughter picked up the torch.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
Jasmine Artiga was always an athlete, a natural competitor. From ballet to tap and jazz, to basketball and even lingerie football, she excelled at everything she tried. But no matter what, she always found herself drawn back to one thing: boxing.
“Honestly, as a child, I loved boxing. My dad boxed growing up, so I was always around the sport, watching him hit the heavy bag in the garage when I was a kid,” Jasmine recalled in an exclusive interview with Brunch Boxing.
She was around the sport, but it wasn’t until she witnessed top featherweight contender Tiara Brown sparring in a gym that she truly knew: boxing wasn’t just something she admired—it was something she wanted to do.
When she told her father she wanted to box, he didn’t hesitate. There was no apprehension, no second-guessing. He knew she had the talent, and more importantly, he had the knowledge to guide her through the often-unforgiving business of boxing.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
“I told my dad, ‘Hey, train me for a few weeks. Let’s see what I do.’ He took me to spar from there. He told me, ‘I can make you a world champion.’ From day one, it’s been nothing but world champion dreams. It was never, ‘Let’s get in this to play around.’ Dad wouldn’t let me do it just to play. I know he wouldn’t lie to me either.”
Eddie had learned the hard way how brutal the sport could be. This time, he wasn’t alone. He had experience on his side, and he had his daughter—one of the most gifted athletes he had ever seen.
“My dad is very business-savvy. He told me, ‘I was in this alone. I didn’t have the guidance. But now, we know how it works.’ When I first started, women’s boxing wasn’t big, but we were never in the sport for money. I’ve always wanted to be a world champion. That was one of his dreams, so naturally, it was mine too.”
Through patience, discipline, and relentless work, they navigated the boxing landscape together, playing the long game.
“We knew we could maneuver our way through the boxing business. We always said, no matter what, we’re going to make it. However we have to maneuver through this game, play this chess game, we’re going to play it. We understood that it was a chess game from day one, so we just had to have patience. It took time for me to learn patience because that’s not one of my strong suits, but through this game of boxing, it’s taught me a lot.”
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
Securing a title shot in boxing is never easy, and for Jasmine, it took persistence, strategy, and key allies. One of those allies was Rachel Donaire, a respected boxing advisor, trainer and manager. While not Jasmine’s official manager, Rachel played a crucial role in helping Artiga navigate the sport, advocating for her every step of the way.
“It’s been crazy, I’m not going to lie. But we’ve been sticking to our guns. We want that WBA world title. I’ve been chasing it since September of last year, trying to get that mandatory position. It’s been a lot of push and pull.
“Big shout out to Rachel Donaire. That’s my girl right there. She’s family. In the boxing business, there aren’t too many people you can trust. The Donaire family, and Rachel specifically, have been there for me. Just being able to call her and have her pick up the phone—her wisdom in the boxing business has been so great for me.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
“She’s helped me a lot in the past few months, really advocating for me. We were pushing for a fight with world champion Clara Lescurat, but she ended up vacating the belt and retiring. As soon as that happened, boom, I was the number one seed. Let’s get this fight on. And now, we’re going to make it happen. World titles are the goal.”
Another key figure in Jasmine’s corner was Rachel’s husband, former four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer, Nonito Donaire. He will be in Jasmine’s corner on fight night, alongside Eddie, helping guide her in the biggest moment of her career.
For Jasmine, this fight isn’t just about personal glory—it’s about legacy. She’s deeply connected to her Tampa roots, and she wants her journey to inspire others, especially the kids she works with in her community.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
“When my legacy goes down, I want people to know Jasmine did it the hard way. She did it the right way. I just want to show the kids that if you do things the right way, and just be patient, you will be rewarded. Destiny will owe you victory.
“Anybody that knows me from my childhood knows I was a very, very shy person. Boxing has opened me up a lot. A lot of the kids I train don’t come to me to be world champion boxers. They come to me because they’re dealing with different issues in their adolescent years. I can relate because I went through a lot of those things too.
“I just want to be out here, winning world titles, defending world titles, and being a voice for the youth. It’s a passion of mine to see these innocent kids do good in life, reach their goals, and find a way to make it no matter what they went through.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Artiga
“To bring a world title back to the city where my grandparents grew up, where my grandpa was poor, dropped out of school, and was going to school with no shoes—that’s probably my biggest driving force at the moment.”
On Saturday night, Jasmine Artiga will have the opportunity to fulfill not only her lifelong dream but the dream her father had to walk away from all those years ago. If she wins, she won’t just be a champion—she’ll be proof that patience, perseverance, and belief in the right people can turn any dream into reality.
And when that moment comes, the Artiga name will finally be etched into boxing history—just as it was always meant to be.
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