LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER - Rianna Rios disposed of three opponents (from California, Ohio and Mexico) en route to winning the 119-pound Junior Olympic National Championship at an event recently held in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Standing next to Rios is her father Solomon Mungia (of Team Solid Knockout) who won his professional debut by way of knockout in May. Fifteen-year old Rianna Rios – of the Kingsville Boxing Club - is not your average high school student when she laces up the boxing gloves. The Ben Bolt amateur boxer has been hitting the bags for the past four years and all of that hard work recently culminated in Rios capturing the 119-pound Junior Olympic National Championship at an event held in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Rios bested three opponents – from Ohio, California and New Mexico - in as many nights to secure the title.

“Just going through them was one thing but having to fight three days straight was hard,” Rios said. “I had to maintain weight, watch what I ate and each night was exhausting after throwing so many punches in each fight.”

Caught up in the excitement of the venue, Rios almost emptied her gas tank a little too soon during her preliminary bouts.

“The first two matches were pretty hard, the second one I won by a close score of 11-9 and I didn’t do as good in that one,” Rios said. “In my second match, I got exhausted fast in the middle of the second round and my opponent continued being the aggressor but I still managed to come out the winner. I started watching what and how much I was throwing because I did not want to become gassed out and not be able to fight the last match.”

Rios’ conquest let’s people know where Ben Bolt is on the map, a memory she will always cherish.

“Being from a small town, which almost no one knows where it is, it meant a lot,” she said.

It’s no surprise that Rios packs a mean wallop being that her father, Solomon Mungia of Team Solid Knockout, won his professional debut through an impressive knockout in May. This is the second national title on the little Badger’s mantle as Rios also seized the Police Athletic League title, in the 106 lb. division, last year.

Rios, however, has little time to pat herself in the back as she is scheduled to fight in the Ringside World Championships (in Kansas City, Missouri) this August. She then defends her PAL title in San Antonio in October.

“Going into a tournament wanting to become the national champion is one thing, but now I have to retain it,” Rios said. “It is going to be hard but I am going to have a lot fun knowing everyone is coming after me now.”