Jocelyn Camarillo was eager to rush toward a spot on Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions talent-laden women’s roster in May by showcasing her talent and charisma in the opening bout of ProBoxTV’s Saturday fight card.
Camarillo, 21, did her part, improving to 6-0 with her first knockout, a first-round finish accomplished in 1 minute, 18 seconds.
Yet, the celebration was short-lived, as Camarillo’s opponent, flyweight Isis Sio, 19, crumbled forward to the canvas and was wheeled unconscious and convulsing out of the National Orange Show Events Center to emergency treatment at Loma Linda University Health medical center, where she went into a medically-induced coma.
Monday, more than 36 harrowing hours after the knockout, Sio emerged to awake, to breathe on her own, and to converse with medical personnel and her mother.
And Camarillo 6-0 breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Jesus,” she wrote on Instagram.
In a Tuesday conversation with BoxingScene, Camarillo elaborated on the tribulations of the event.
“Obviously, I was looking for the KO victory, but things happened and that’s the sad thing about this sport – it’s real, and these things can happen,” Camarillo said. “More than anything, I’m happy my opponent came out of this OK.”
In those 36 hours, “my mind was going everywhere. I was just overwhelmed with emotion. Obviously, I was proud of myself, but I felt like I couldn’t really be happy even though I put so many hours into the gym. It was a bittersweet feeling … I just couldn’t stop thinking about her and how she is. It was this back-and-forth feeling of being happy and being guilty.”
While Camarillo dressed in a “Kill Bill” outfit complete with a sword in a social-media skit before the fight, she said seriously injuring Sio was never her intent.
She took to social media Monday morning, seeking to fully explain her state of mind.
“First and foremost, [Sio] has been on my mind and I’m truly relieved that she’s OK. I would never want anything bad to happen to anyone I share the ring with. This sport is dangerous, and we all step in there knowing what’s at risk,” she said on a Monday post.
“This was my first KO victory, and in the moment, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I was proud, excited and honestly reacting. It was never from a place of disrespect or a lack of sportsmanship.”
Camarillo’s excitement was so quickly tempered at the sight of Sio being urgently tended to, as the personnel executed a California State Athletic Commission plan rehearsed in the hours before.
Sio had been knocked out in January by a body shot, and her mother explained in a statement that those, too, can have devastating effects, as Camarillo set up the knockout accomplished by a combination of head shots by burying two hard body shots on Sio.
Camarillo posed as the triumph was sealed.
“As soon as it registered what was happening, my energy shifted. I took a knee and my concern was with [Sio]. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a malicious person,” said Camarillo, who trains in her hometown of Indio, California, under Marcos Caballero and his former contender son, Randy, who sought to comfort Camarillo in the moments after the bittersweet victory.
Boxing history is littered by tragedies where the winning fighter versus an opponent who died is haunted and diminished by the event.
“What’s been harder is feeling judged and attacked, especially during a moment that’s already been a lot for me to take in,” Camarillo wrote. “I’m still learning and growing, not just as a fighter, but as a person navigating moments like this in the public eye.
“I also want to say I truly appreciate everyone who has reached out to check on me mentally. It means more than you know. Much respect to Isis Sio.”
Camarillo contacted Sio’s mother via direct message.
“I definitely want to see her in the hospital, but I don’t want to overstep and I don’t know how they feel toward me,” Camarillo said. “I’ve sent her mom the best and said I have so much respect for Isis. I see she loves what she does. I asked to send her my best and said if she wants to continue her boxing career, I wish her the best.”
Camarillo manager Rick Mirigian, who struck the Most Valuable Promotions deal for his fighter, told BoxingScene, “I made a multi-year deal with MVP for her … I told them she was special. She cashed the check my mouth wrote.
“She is destined to be a superstar, and I will make sure she gets there along with her father and trainer.”
Camarillo said she is confident she can turn from this turbulent event and achieve all she wants from her fighting career.
“I have more eyes on me and it makes me want to work hard because I know I need to keep the winning streak going and prove [my talent] to everyone,” Camarillo said.
