After finishing sparring rounds at her family’s boxing gym, Maya Hernandez doesn’t usually head home.
Instead, the 20-year-old drives to a nearby Planet Fitness to shower. She changes into her grocery store uniform in the locker room, pulls her hair back tight and clocks in for work. The routine saves time and gas, two things she can’t afford to waste.
By the time most people are pouring their second cup of coffee, Hernandez has already boxed, conditioned and begun navigating the logistics of a life that rarely slows down.
The Pinon Hills resident and Serrano High School graduate is preparing for her second professional bout Feb. 27 at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, less than five months after making her pro debut. Hernandez scored a four-round unanimous decision victory over Sandra Magallon in her debut at the same venue on Oct. 18.
Now, Hernandez will face Fayeda An on a card headlined by Eduardo Yudel vs. Terry Washington. The event also features two other fighters with High Desert ties, Jerry Perez and Abel Alba, in separate bouts. Oak Hills Boxing Club has tickets on sale for $85.
But Hernandez isn’t just fighting to build a record.
She’s got championship aspirations while also juggling the biggest responsibility she’s ever encountered in being the mother of a 1-year-old son.
No time to waste
“Training every day,” is how Hernandez best describes her daily routine.
“I wake up, do a boxing workout and then condition. I go to work. I also have to adjust to my work schedule because it’s always changing,” she said. “If I work mornings, then everything else is done at night time. It gets difficult that way because after work I’m all tired.”
Soon after her shift ends, she returns to Oak Hills Boxing Club, the gym built and run by her father, Johnny Hernandez, to train again and close up shop sometime before 11 p.m.
Then she goes home to be a mother.
“It’s all day for her,” Johnny Hernandez said.
There is little room for wasted time.
‘Life is funny sometimes’
Hernandez began boxing at age 8, growing up inside the family gym. Before turning professional, she established herself as a top amateur prospect, earning recognition in regional and national competitions.
Olympic aspirations once seemed like a natural next step.
Years ago, her father spoke cautiously about her future.
“Hopefully she stays on course,” he said in a previous Daily Press article. “Life is funny sometimes and things change. We’ll see what happens.”
Things did change.
At 18, Hernandez became pregnant and stepped away from boxing during a critical stage of her development. The interruption could have derailed her momentum.
Instead, it reshaped it.
“It was hard at first getting back in the gym,” Hernandez said. “But coming back to boxing, I found myself more motivated now that I’m a mom.”
Motherhood has been more demanding than any workout in her 12-year boxing career.
“It’s definitely a lot of work but it’s helped me be more disciplined in my boxing,” she said.
A ‘quiet, humble beast’
Hernandez is soft-spoken and reserved outside the ring. Inside the ring, her demeanor shifts.
“I try to read Maya,” Johnny Hernandez said. “She doesn’t communicate. Everything with her is physical. They say communication is 90% physical. Especially when she’s standoffish in the morning workouts. I know she’s tired and doesn’t want to hear me. She’s got a lot on her plate and I’m sure me on her all the time doesn’t help.”
Sparring partner Celene Roman calls her a “quiet, humble beast.”
“She’s so nice. Respectful. Quiet,” Roman said. “In the ring she’s a different person. She’s a warrior. She is consistent with discipline. Very disciplined. Never complains. I admire that about her. She’s always grinding.”
Strength and conditioning coach Lou Johnson has seen that evolution firsthand.
Johnson worked out at Oak Hills Boxing Club in 2020 before joining the team. Over the past year, he has watched Hernandez develop into a more complete fighter.
“When she puts her mind to something, she’s unstoppable,” Johnson said moments before a training session. “She’s her own worst enemy. If she ever loses, that will be on her; it won’t be because of a lack of talent. She’s one-of-a-kind.”
The father-daughter dynamic
Johnny Hernandez’s coaching style is blunt and simply unapologetic. He has kicked fighters out of his gym, including his own son, Solomon, a senior at Serrano High School.
“Everyone can say bad things about me,” Johnny said. “But they can’t say that I’m a bad coach.”
He knows his style isn’t for everyone.
“If kids are soft, this is not the place for you,” he said. “If you can’t handle someone yelling at you, this is not the place for you. We have strong personalities. Even at home, we all have to be very careful because it can quickly turn into a straight war. We are all alphas. Most of the time, we feel like killing each other.”
So what makes it work with his daughter?
Johnson summed it up in one word: respect.
“I feel like my dad is very wise,” Hernandez said. “We clash heads a lot but I know what he says is always right at the end.”
Betting on themselves
Without a major promotional contract, Hernandez and her team shoulder much of the financial burden themselves, relying in part on sponsors. Training equipment, medical clearances and travel expenses add up quickly.
Interest is growing. Several key figures in the sport have approached them. Offers are on the table.
But the family is deliberate.
“That’s a two-edged sword,” Johnny Hernandez said when asked what it is they seek in return from the sport of boxing. “Power. Dominance. It’s not money. That will go away. One thing about us is that we’re not for sale.”
Their timing may be ideal.
Women’s boxing is experiencing unprecedented growth. Increased television and streaming exposure, larger purses and rising stars have reshaped the sport’s landscape. The evolution is being driven by established champions and emerging talent, with undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields at the forefront.
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and multi-division world champion, recently signed a landmark two-year promotional deal worth a guaranteed $8 million, solidifying the commercial and competitive rise of women’s boxing.
“It’s a great time for women’s boxing,” Hernandez said, noting she enjoys watching Alycia Baumgardner fight. “It’s nice knowing that it’s easier for women to make it to the top in this sport.”
Roman has seen that shift firsthand. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and now living in the Inland Empire, the 36-year-old stepped away from boxing for a decade before returning last year. A difficult breakup brought her back to the gym.
“I decided to fight again because I didn’t want to have any regrets,” Roman said. “I wanted to give it one last go.”
She has fought three times since last February.
“Maybe it was meant to be,” Roman added. “It was a different era. There wasn’t any kind of money to be made for females. The risk-reward ratio wasn’t worth it. Now there is a big spotlight on female sports, specifically boxing.”
For Hernandez, that spotlight is arriving just as she is building her professional career, balancing gloves, grocery shifts and motherhood along the way.
“I’m excited for the future,” Hernandez said.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: How boxer Maya Hernandez balances her pro career, work and motherhood
Reporting by Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
