The Tijuana city government announced on May 6 that it will finance a documentary about world champion boxer Jackie Nava, committing 2,754,102 pesos (about $137,000 USD) in public funds to the project. The film, titled “Puños de Esperanza” (Fists of Hope), will chronicle the career and personal life of the retired fighter known as “La Princesa Azteca” (The Aztec Princess). Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz presented the project at an official press conference.
The funds were channeled through the Fondos Tijuana trust, a municipal fund originally created to support business development. Recent rule changes to its “Detonando Proyectos Estratégicos” (Detonating Strategic Projects) program now allow the trust to back initiatives with social and community impact. The symbolic check was delivered to the Comité Municipal de Box Amateur A.C., the amateur boxing committee that will oversee production.
90 Minutes, 4K, and a Cannes Premiere
Filmmaker Javier Reyes García will direct and produce the documentary. The production will shoot in 4K across locations in Tijuana using local talent and crew. The project has a nine-month production timeline, with the team targeting a premiere at the 2027 Cannes Film Festival.
The finished film is expected to run approximately 90 minutes. City officials said they also plan to screen it at community centers and schools throughout Tijuana as a motivational and educational tool for young people.
Nava’s Story Beyond the Ring
During the announcement, Nava said the documentary would go beyond her boxing accomplishments. She told reporters the film will explore her life as a mother, a professional, and a woman fighting for recognition in a male-dominated sport. The project had been in the works for years, she said, and was formally pitched to the mayor months ago.
“The documentary is not just going to talk about the boxer. It’s going to talk about a woman who fought, who fell many times. And in the same way, Tijuana has fallen and gotten back up,” Nava said at the event.
Burgueño Ruiz called Tijuana a “land of champions” and said Nava’s story of persistence deserved a wide audience. Pedro Montejo Peterson, Tijuana’s Secretary of Economic Development, explained the regulatory changes that made the funding possible.
Nava retired from professional boxing after a final fight in Tijuana and held multiple world titles during her career, making her one of the most prominent figures in Mexican women’s boxing. The documentary aims to position her legacy as part of Tijuana’s cultural identity while generating local economic activity through production spending.
First reported by Jornada BC and Tijuana en Línea.