Chantel Navarro is a pioneer in her family. She is the first woman in the Navarro fighting clan to turn professional.

Navarro, who signed with Wise Owl Boxing on Wednesday, has already established a promising professional record of 7-0 (3 KOs).

A 22-year-old from Glendale, California, Navarro began boxing at 12 years old, inspired by tales from her father, Ignacio Navarro, about his old fighting days. The stories intrigued her. She wanted to give it a try herself. Although multiple generations of her family have made names for themselves in the ring, she faced some resistance from her parents before, finally, they relented and she got her chance. Turns out she was a natural: Chantel went on to win seven national titles as an amateur.

“It is cool to be the first female in my family to do this,” Navarro told BoxingScene.

Ignacio had a professional career that lasted from 1996 to 1998, during which he compiled a record of 7-0-1 (3 KOs). Chantel’s two uncles, Jose and Carlos, were also fighters. Jose, a junior bantamweight, fought for a world title on multiple occasions, though never won it. Carlos boxed professionally from 1996 to 2007. Currently, three of her cousins are professional boxers: Jonathan Navarro, 2020 Olympic Trials winner David Navarro and rising prospect Steven Navarro.

“A lot of my younger cousins and nieces tell me they look up to me and want to be like me one day,” Chantel said, “that they want to learn to box.”

Navarro went pro in July 2024 after losing to Yoseline Perez at the 2024 Olympic Trials. Turning pro was the refresher she needed. She fell in love with the sport again.

“It was bittersweet,” Navarro said about going pro. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to fight in the Olympics.”

Navarro, a women’s bantamweight, most recently fought in December, winning a six-round unanimous decision over Naomi Arellano Reyes. She is optimistic that she will start a trend in her family and that we will see more Navarro women competing as amateurs and pros in the future.

“Maybe one day,” Navarro said, “the female side of Navarro boxing might take over.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.