Edwin Rodríguez (boxer)


Edwin Rodríguez is a Dominican professional boxer who lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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.

Amateur career

Rodriguez had an 84–9 record and won the USA Boxing Championships 2005 and the National Golden Gloves 2006 as a middleweight. 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 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. 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, 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.

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.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
Win30–2 Lionell ThompsonUD102018-02-17 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Win29–2 Melvin RussellTKO2 2017-07-18Rapides Coliseum, Alexandria, Louisiana.png" />
Loss28–2 Thomas Williams Jr.TKO2, 2:592016-04-30StubHub Center, Carson, California.png" />
Win28–1 Michael SealsTKO3, 0:242015-11-13Biloxi, Mississippi.png" />
Win27–1 Craig BakerTKO3, 2:222015-05-23
Win26–1 Derrick FindleyRTD1, 3:002014-12-11Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California.png" />
Win25–1 Azea AugustamaUD102014-10-18
Loss24–1 Andre WardUD122013-11-16Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California.png" />Fight was originally for WBA & The Ring Super-Middleweight titles, but Rodriguez failed to make weight
Win24–0 Denis GrachevTKO1, 2:502013-07-13Salle des Etoiles, Monte-Carlo.png" />Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament Final.
Win23–0 Ezequiel MadernaUD102013-03-30Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament Semifinal.
Win22–0 Jason EscaleraTKO8, 0:122012-09-29Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conn..png" />Retained USBA Super Middleweight title.
Win21–0 Don GeorgeUD102012-03-17Madison Square Garden, New York City.png" />Won USBA Super Middleweight title.
Win20–0 Will RosinskyUD102011-10-21Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conn..png" />
Win19–0 Chris TraiettiRTD2 2011-08-20Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass..png" />
Win18–0 Aaron Pryor Jr.UD102011-01-14Mallory Square, Key West, Florida.png" />
Win17–0 James McGirt Jr.UD9, 1:572010-11-05Scheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota.png" />Won vacant USNBC Super Middleweight title.
Win16–0 Ibahiem KingTKO5, 1:062010-06-24Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass..png" />
Win15–0 Kevin EngelKO6, 2:352010-04-30UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois.png" />
Win14–0 George ArmentaKO1, 0:472010-03-19Choctaw Gaming Center, Durant, Oklahoma.png" />
Win13–0 Brian NormanTKO5, 1:162009-11-19Main Street Armory, Rochester, New York.png" />
Win12–0 Darnell BooneUD82009-10-03Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island.png" />
Win11–0 Angel David GonzalezTKO3, 1:092009-08-13Frontier Field, Rochester, New York.png" />
Win10–0 Patrick ThompsonTKO2, 2:112009-03-19
Win9–0 Brad AustinTKO3, 1:092009-01-17
Win8–0 Marcus UpshawUD62008-08-22
Win7–0 Hector HernandezUD62008-06-28Park Plaza Castle, Boston, Mass..png" />
Win6–0 Anthony CannonTKO4, 1:072008-05-17IBEW Freeport Hall, Dorchester, Mass..png" />
Win5–0 Michael BirthmarkTKO1, 2:462008-05-03Coeur d'Alene Casino, Worley, Idaho.png" />
Win4–0 Jeffrey Osborne JrTKO4, 2:552008-04-12The Roxy, Boston, Mass..png" />
Win3–0 James NorthUD42008-03-28Seneca Allegany Casino, Salamanca, New York.png" />
Win2–0 Fitzgerald JohnsonTKO4, 2:472008-02-08
Win1–0 Samuel Ortiz GomezTKO1, 1:222008-01-26

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. 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.