Edwin Rodríguez (boxer)

Edwin Rodríguez (born May 5, 1985) is a Dominican professional boxer who lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.[1]

Edwin Rodríguez
Statistics
Nickname(s)La Bomba
Weight(s)Super middleweight
Light heavyweight
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Reach76 in (190 cm)
NationalityDominican
Born (1985-05-05) May 5, 1985
Moca, Dominican Republic
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights33
Wins31
Wins by KO20
Losses2
Draws0
No contests0

Starred in the box office hit Bleed For This as Roberto Duran

Early life

Rodriguez moved to Worcester at age 13 with dreams of becoming the next great Dominican ballplayer. Winters in the Bay State made for a short baseball season and two years later, he abandoned the diamond for the ring.[2]

Amateur career

Rodriguez had an 84–9 record and won the USA Boxing Championships 2005 and the National Golden Gloves 2006 as a middleweight (165 pounds). Rodriguez was training for the USA Olympic qualifiers for the 2008 Summer Olympics when his pregnant fiancee delivered twins born 16 weeks premature. Rodriguez chose to dedicate his time to his family and eventually lost in the final qualifier for the Olympic box-offs. Following the Boston Marathon bombing, Rodriguez revealed that he had previously sparred with suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2010[3] and expressed regret that he had "slowed down" when he had Tsarnaev hurting 2 rounds into their sparring session.[4]

Professional career

Rodriguez, known by the nickname "La Bomba", turned pro in 2008 for promoter Lou DiBella.[5] Rodriguez is a world-ranked super middleweight (168 pounds). Rodriguez previously trained with Peter Manfredo Sr[6] and currently trains with Ronnie Shields. Rodriguez was managed by Larry Army Jr until the weeks before the Monaco Million Dollar Super Four Tournament, after which the two sides worked out an agreement[7] and announced an amicable split. Rodriguez signed with manager Al Haymon and are in negotiations for his next fight, likely against a title holder and on Showtime.[8] Rodriguez wears Rival gloves, is affiliated with Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), and has included hypoxic boxing techniques in his training.[9] He has steadily developed into a world title contender with recent wins against previously undefeated Will Rosinsky, Don George,[10] and previously unbeaten Jason Escalera. Rodriguez is currently ranked No. 1 by the WBC, No. 3 by the IBF, No. 3 by the WBA, and No. 7 by The Ring magazine, and has been mentioned as a likely title contender in 2013 or 2014.

Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four

Rodriguez won the Monaco Million Dollar Super Four Tournament by beating previously undefeated Ezequiel Maderna in a unanimous decision before an impressive first round TKO in the final against Denis Grachev to collect the winner's share on the 60/40 split of the $1 million purse.[11]

Victory over Craig Baker

On May 23, 2015 Rodriguez defeated Craig Baker by TKO in the third round of a Premier Boxing Champions bout in the Agganis Arena, Boston, televised live on NBC.[12]

Victory over Michael Seals

On November 13, 2015 Rodriguez defeated Michael Seals by TKO in the third round of a Premier Boxing Champions bout in the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Biloxi, Mississippi, televised live on Spike TV. Edwin Rodriguez barely survived the first round after being floored twice, but he quickly rallied to stop Michael Seals in the third round, using three knockdowns of his own.[13]

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
32 fights 30 wins 2 losses
By knockout 20 1
By decision 10 1
Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
Win 30–2 Lionell Thompson UD 10 2018-02-17 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Win 29–2 Melvin Russell TKO 2 (8) 2017-07-18 Rapides Coliseum, Alexandria, Louisiana
Loss 28–2 Thomas Williams Jr. TKO 2 (10), 2:59 2016-04-30 StubHub Center, Carson, California
Win 28–1 Michael Seals TKO 3 (10), 0:24 2015-11-13 Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win 27–1 Craig Baker TKO 3 (10), 2:22 2015-05-23 Agganis Arena, Boston, Mass.
Win 26–1 Derrick Findley RTD 1 (10), 3:00 2014-12-11 Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California
Win 25–1 Azea Augustama UD 10 2014-10-18 StubHub Center, Carson, California
Loss 24–1 Andre Ward UD 12 2013-11-16 Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California Fight was originally for WBA (super) & The Ring Super-Middleweight titles, but Rodriguez failed to make weight
Win 24–0 Denis Grachev TKO 1 (10), 2:50 2013-07-13 Salle des Etoiles, Monte-Carlo Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament Final.
Win 23–0 Ezequiel Maderna UD 10 2013-03-30 Salle des Etoiles, Monte-Carlo Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament Semifinal.
Win 22–0 Jason Escalera TKO 8 (10), 0:12 2012-09-29 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conn. Retained USBA Super Middleweight title.
Win 21–0 Don George UD 10 2012-03-17 Madison Square Garden, New York City Won USBA Super Middleweight title.
Win 20–0 Will Rosinsky UD 10 2011-10-21 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conn.
Win 19–0 Chris Traietti RTD 2 (10) 2011-08-20 Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass.
Win 18–0 Aaron Pryor Jr. UD 10 2011-01-14 Mallory Square, Key West, Florida
Win 17–0 James McGirt Jr. UD 9 (10), 1:57 2010-11-05 Scheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota Won vacant USNBC Super Middleweight title.
Win 16–0 Ibahiem King TKO 5 (10), 1:06 2010-06-24 Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass.
Win 15–0 Kevin Engel KO 6 (8), 2:35 2010-04-30 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois
Win 14–0 George Armenta KO 1 (8), 0:47 2010-03-19 Choctaw Gaming Center, Durant, Oklahoma
Win 13–0 Brian Norman TKO 5 (8), 1:16 2009-11-19 Main Street Armory, Rochester, New York
Win 12–0 Darnell Boone UD 8 2009-10-03 Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
Win 11–0 Angel David Gonzalez TKO 3 (6), 1:09 2009-08-13 Frontier Field, Rochester, New York
Win 10–0 Patrick Thompson TKO 2 (8), 2:11 2009-03-19 Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass.
Win 9–0 Brad Austin TKO 3 (8), 1:09 2009-01-17 Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi
Win 8–0 Marcus Upshaw UD 6 2008-08-22 Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island
Win 7–0 Hector Hernandez UD 6 2008-06-28 Park Plaza Castle, Boston, Mass.
Win 6–0 Anthony Cannon TKO 4 (6), 1:07 2008-05-17 IBEW Freeport Hall, Dorchester, Mass.
Win 5–0 Michael Birthmark TKO 1 (4), 2:46 2008-05-03 Coeur d'Alene Casino, Worley, Idaho
Win 4–0 Jeffrey Osborne Jr TKO 4 (4), 2:55 2008-04-12 The Roxy, Boston, Mass.
Win 3–0 James North UD 4 2008-03-28 Seneca Allegany Casino, Salamanca, New York
Win 2–0 Fitzgerald Johnson TKO 4 (4), 2:47 2008-02-08 Park Plaza Castle, Boston, Mass.
Win 1–0 Samuel Ortiz Gomez TKO 1 (4), 1:22 2008-01-26 Mansfield SportsPlex, Mansfield, Mass.

Personal life

Rodriguez moved to the US from the Dominican Republic in 1998. Rodriguez credits working in his father's convenience store as instrumental in helping him learn English and adjust to life in the US.[14] Rodriguez is father to a twin son and daughter born 23 weeks into his fiancee's pregnancy in 2006. His children faced difficult odds as micro preemies born 16 weeks premature but persevered in large part to their parents' dedication and sacrifice.[15] Rodriguez and his fiancee married in 2010 and welcomed another son in 2013.

References
  1. "Pacquiao/Bradley 24/7; Hector Saldivia; Edwin Rodriguez". Boxing Scene. May 15, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  2. "Biography of Edwin Rodriguez". Premier Boxing Champions. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  3. "Dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev had boxing aspirations". Yahoo Sports. April 19, 2013.
  4. "Super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez wishes he'd finished Tamerlan Tsarnaev in ring". NY Daily News. April 19, 2013.
  5. "Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez". DiBella Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  6. "Worcester's Edwin Rodriguez Fights Biggest Battle Outside Boxing Ring". NESN. July 5, 2010.
  7. "Edwin Rodriguez, Larry Army Jr Go Separate Ways". Boxing Scene. July 31, 2013.
  8. "New doors open for E. Rodriguez". ESPN. August 8, 2013.
  9. "And Then Came Summer: Edwin Rodriguez and Company Bring the Heat". Dog House Boxing. July 16, 2013.
  10. Satterfield, Lem (March 18, 2012). "Rodriguez out-points George over 10 rounds, rises to 21–0". The Ring. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  11. "Rodriguez finally makes a statement". ESPN. July 15, 2013.
  12. "James DeGale does early damage in win over Andre Dirrell". Premier Boxing Champions. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  13. "Rodriguez vs Seals". Premier Boxing Champions. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  14. "MTR: What's Next For Edwin Rodriguez". ESPN. July 16, 2013.
  15. "Overcoming adversity is a Rodriguez trait". Yahoo Sports. October 20, 2011.
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