Nickname(s) La Bomba Nationality Dominican Wins by KO 18 Role Boxer Total fights 28 Losses 1 | Reach 76 in (190 cm) Wins 27 Name Edwin Rodriguez Height 1.83 m Stance Orthodox stance | |
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Rated at Light heavyweight
Super middleweight Born May 5, 1985 (age 39)
Moca, Dominican Republic ( 1985-05-05 ) Division Super middleweight, Light heavyweight Similar People Michael Seals, Andre Ward, Fernando Guerrero | ||
Edwin Rodriguez (born May 5, 1985) is a Dominican professional boxer who lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Contents
Amateur
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 bombings, Rodriguez revealed that he had previously sparred with suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2010 and expressed regret that he had "slowed down" when he had Tsarnaev hurting 2 rounds into their sparring session.
Professional career
Rodriguez, known by the nickname "La Bomba", turned pro in 2008 for promoter Lou DiBella. Rodriguez is a world-ranked super middleweight (168 pounds). Rodriguez previously trained with Peter Manfredo Sr 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 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. Rodriguez wears Rival gloves, is affiliated with Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC), and has included hypoxic boxing techniques in his training. He has steadily developed into a world title contender with recent wins against previously undefeated Will Rosinsky, Don George, 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.
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.
Personal
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. 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. Rodriguez and his fiancee married in 2010 and welcomed another son in 2013.
