Her father, Juan, is of Nigerian, Cantù, Irish, and Seminole Indian descent while her mother, Melissa, is of Mexican, French, Spanish, and Native American heritage.
[1] Despite initial reluctance to involve her in the sport, Juan eventually taught her the basics and then took her to a boxing gym.
[1] Shortly after her 18th birthday, West made her professional boxing debut on February 23, 2006, at San Manuel Indian Casino in San Bernardino, California, recording a four-round unanimous decision win over Suzannah Warner.
Women were now allowed to box in the Olympics during this time, and this became the deciding factor to why West turned professional.
On October 6, 2012, at the Finish Line Sports Grill in Pomona, California, West won the vacant International Female Boxers Association World super-bantamweight title with a unanimous decision success over Christina Ruiz.