Editing John John Molina

{{Short description|Puerto Rican boxer (born 1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox boxer
| name              = John John Molina
| image             =
| realname          = Juan A. Molina
| nickname          = John John
| weight            = [[Lightweight]]<br/>[[Super featherweight]]
| height            = 5 ft 7 in
| reach             = 67 in
| nationality       = Puerto Rican
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1965|3|17}}
| birth_place       = [[Fajardo, Puerto Rico]]
| style             = [[Orthodox stance|Orthodox]]
| boxrec         = 008492
| total             = 59
| wins              = 52
| KO                = 33
| losses            = 7
| medaltemplates    = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[amateur boxing]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{PUR}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Boxing World Cup|World Cup]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1985 Seoul | Featherweight}}
| show-medals       = yes
}}

'''Juan Molina''' (born March 17, 1965), better known as '''John John Molina''' in the [[world]] of [[boxing]], is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in [[Puerto Rico]]. A multiple time world champion, this boxer was also known as quite a socialite. Molina is a native of [[Fajardo|Fajardo, Puerto Rico]].

==Amateur career==
Molina represented Puerto Rico as a [[Bantamweight]] at the [[Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics#Bantamweight .28.E2.80.93 54 kg.29|1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games]]. His results were:
*1st round bye
*Defeated Jarmo Eskelinen (Finland) 5-0
*Lost to [[Pedro Nolasco (boxer)|Pedro Nolasco]] (Dominican Republic) 2-3

Molina won the [[Boxing World Cup]] in [[Seoul, South Korea]], November 1985, by knocking out [[Kelcie Banks]] in the finals. Upon returning to Puerto Rico, the 20-year-old youngster announced to [[Rafael Bracero]] on [[Television|TV]] he would be ready to fight professional world Featherweight champion ''[[Victor Luvi Callejas]]'' within a year. That wasn't to happen, however.

==Professional career==
Molina started as a professional on February 25, 1986, beating Job Walters by a decision in four. His first three fights were decisions. He won his first 14 bouts, nine of them by [[knockout]]. Among the people he beat during that span was Victor Aponte, who was a stablemate of both [[Alberto Mercado]] and [[Juan Carazo]]. Aponte got knocked out by Molina in the 10th and final round. During this period of his career, Molina received much television exposure in Puerto Rico, many of his fights being shown on TV by producer and fight commentator [[Ivonne Class]] and her ''Video Deportes'' company.

Then, he faced Lupe Suarez, losing for the first time, when he was knocked out in the ninth round. Immediately after suffering his first loss, he embarked on a five-fight win streak, including a disqualification win in four rounds over former [[Hector Camacho]] world title challenger [[Rafael Solis (boxer)|Rafael Solis]], and a knockout in eight over Miguel Medina. After those two wins, he was ranked as the number one challenger by the [[International Boxing Federation|IBF]].

On October 27, 1988, Molina was at The Arco Arena in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], to challenge the IBF super featherweight champion [[Tony Lopez (boxer)|Tony Lopez]], in what marked the beginning of a three-fight rivalry between Molina and Lopez. Molina dropped Lopez in round two, but Lopez went on to retain the title by a split decision.

In his next fight, April 29, 1989, the [[WBO]] put him and former [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] featherweight champion [[Juan Laporte]] against each other for the vacant WBO super featherweight title. Molina became a world champion by beating Laporte by a 12-round unanimous decision at [[Roberto Clemente Coliseum]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]. 

===First major world title===
in September of 1989, he returned to Arco Arena to resume his rivalry with Lopez. Molina won the IBF belt by knocking Lopez out in the tenth round.

On January 28, 1990, he avenged his loss to Suarez by knocking him out in the sixth round to retain the belt, but then, on May 20 of that year, he and Lopez met for their rubber match, this time in [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]. Lopez dropped Molina and won a unanimous decision to recover his status as world Jr. Lightweight champion.

===Rebuilding===
Between 1990 and 1992, Molina won five straight fights, four by knockout. 

===Second title reign===
In early 1992, after [[Brian Mitchell (boxer)|Brian Mitchell]] (who had beaten Lopez), left the IBF title vacant due to retirement, Molina travelled to [[South Africa]], where he met Jackie Gunguzula for the vacant world title. He knocked Gunguzula out in the fourth round to become world champion once again, and, days later, he was the object of a large welcoming at [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]] in San Juan. During this period of his reign, Molina made seven defenses, beating challengers like [[Bernard Taylor (boxer)|Bernard Taylor]], [[Floyd Havard]], [[Wilson Rodriguez]], former world Featherweight champion [[Gregorio Vargas]] and future world Featherweight champion [[Manuel Medina (boxer)|Manuel "Mantecas" Medina]], among others.

Around then, he became quite known by the mainstream [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] public, becoming one of the first boxers ever to be portrayed on the cover of ''[[Vea]]'' magazine, and dating a famous model.

===De La Hoya vs. Molina===
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. John John Molina}}
Molina then moved up in weight to challenge the WBO [[lightweight]] champion [[Oscar De La Hoya]], losing by a unanimous decision in 12 rounds in an [[HBO Boxing]] televised event.

===Latter career===
After that, Molina engaged in a series of fights against mostly lower-level opposition for the next two years, and he grew frustrated over the fact that his opposition level was being downgraded by promoters after the fight with de la Hoya. He won his next nine bouts, but the only two opponents that can probably be called respectable names in his list of opponents during that span were Jaime "Rocky" Balboa, beaten by decision in ten, and Isaac Cruz, beaten by a disqualification in four.

On May 9, 1998, Molina was given a second chance at a world lightweight championship, when he met IBF champion [[Shane Mosley|Sugar Shane Mosley]], in Molina's second [[Home Box Office|HBO]] fight. Mosley retained the title by a knockout in the eighth round, and Molina went back to the super featherweight division.

His next fight was also for the world title, but he had to wait nine months for that fight. In February 1999, he faced IBF super featherweight champion [[Robert Garcia (American boxer)|Robert Garcia]], dropping the champion in their [[pay per view]] event but losing a 12-round decision in what turned out to be his last world title fight.

Molina wasn't done with boxing, and he went on to win seven more fights in a row, including two decision wins, one of which was televised by the [[USA Network]] over [[Emanuel Burton]], and another one over future [[Kostya Tszyu]] world title challenger [[Ben Tackie]], which was on the undercard of the [[Lennox Lewis vs. David Tua]] fight's pay per view program.

His last fight was a T.K.O. loss to Mexican [[Juan Lazcano]], Molina retired from boxing after the fight.

==Professional boxing record==
{{BoxingRecordSummary
|draws=
|nc=
|ko-wins=33
|ko-losses=3
|dec-wins=17
|dec-losses=4
|dq-wins=2
|dq-losses=
}}
{{Boxing record start|round-time-split=y}}
|-
|59
|{{no2}}Loss
|52–7
|align=left|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Juan Lazcano]]
|TKO
|11 (12)
|1:06
|5 May 2001
|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} {{small|[[Don Haskins Center]], [[El Paso, Texas]], U.S.}}
|align=left|{{small|For [[List of NABF champions#Lightweight|NABF]] and vacant [[International Boxing Association|IBA]] lightweight titles}}
|-
|58
|{{yes2}}Win
|52–6
|align=left|{{flagicon|GHA}} [[Ben Tackie]]
|SD
|10
|N/a
|[[Lennox Lewis vs. David Tua|11 Nov 2000]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} {{small|[[Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], U.S.}}
|
|-
|57
|{{yes2}}Win
|51–6
|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Emanuel Augustus]]
|UD
|10
|N/a
|12 May 2000
|align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} {{small|[[Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort]], [[Miami, Florida]], U.S.}}
|
{{Boxing record end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico|Biography}}
*[[List of Puerto Ricans]]
*[[List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions]]
*[[List of super-featherweight boxing champions]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-text|style=background:#C1D8FF; font-weight: bold;|text=Minor world boxing titles}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-non| reason=Inaugural Champion}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of WBO world champions#Junior lightweight|WBO super featherweight champion]]
| years = April 29, 1989 – October 15, 1989<br>Stripped}}
{{s-vac|next=Kamel Bou-Ali}}
{{s-text|style=background:#C1D8FF; font-weight: bold;|text=World boxing titles}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tony Lopez (boxer)|Tony Lopez]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of IBF world champions#Junior lightweight|IBF super featherweight champion]]
| years = October 7, 1989 – May 20, 1990}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Tony Lopez (boxer)|Tony Lopez]]}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Brian Mitchell (boxer)|Brian Mitchell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of IBF world champions#Junior lightweight|IBF super featherweight champion]]
| years = February 22, 1992 – February 20, 1995<br>Vacated}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Eddie Hopson]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molina, John John}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Boxers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic boxers for Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Super-featherweight boxers]]
[[Category:Lightweight boxers]]
[[Category:World super-featherweight boxing champions]]
[[Category:International Boxing Federation champions]]
[[Category:World Boxing Organization champions]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Fajardo, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican male boxers]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]