WORCESTER, Mass. (Mar. 8, 2010) - Highly-regarded,
unbeaten prospect Edwin "La
Bomb" Rodriguez could
still be "The Future of the Middleweight
Division" as projected when he turned pro but, at
least for the immediate future, he'll continue
campaigning as a super middleweight.
The Dominican Republic-born Rodriguez (13-0, 9
KOs), fighting out of Worcester (MA), is set for
nationally televised debut March 19 in an 8-round
super middleweight bout versus veteran
George "The Rooster" Armenta
on ESPN Friday Night Fights,
live from Choctaw Gaming Center in Durant,
Oklahoma.
Rodriguez, who was the 2005 USA
Boxing National Championships and 2006 U.S.
National Golden Gloves Tournament gold medalist,
has fought as light as 162 pounds with a high of
168 in his last fight, a fifth-round technical
knockout of Brian Norman last November.
"I've settled-in as a super
middleweight and now I'm fully focused on training
and improving," the 24-year-old explained. "I feel
very comfortable at 168. I'm improving with each
fight and I believe we're on the right track. I'm
working on improving my skills instead of losing
weight, but I can get down to 160 for a big fight.
"Boxing looks more physical than
mental, but it's really more mental. I had a big
problem, mentally, trying to make the (2008 U.S.)
Olympic team when my twins were (prematurely) born
and they were in the hospital fighting for their
lives. That's as tough as it gets in the gym. I had
it bad, mentally, when the twins were born. You
need to have your head on straight in this sport,
not worrying about making weight. I feel great,
physically and mentally, for this fight."
Rodriguez looks like a super
middleweight, standing 6'1" with long arms, who'll
probably grow into a light heavyweight as he
physically matures. For now, though, he'll fight at
168 with the option of fighting as a middleweight,
provided he has sufficient time to lose those extra
pounds, and remain strong.
"Edwin walks around at 175 and
making 168 is so much easier for him," Rodriguez'
manager, Larry Army, added. "I believe, physically,
he has the body of a super middleweight. He'll be
able to keep 6-8 more pounds and improve, instead
of struggling to make weight. For the right
opponent, he can drop down to 160, and remain
strong. Right now, the top super middleweights are
tied up in the Super Six tournament, but the
middleweight division is wide open, and Edwin
should be ready in another year or so to fight the
top 160-pounders in the world."
On ESPN FNF, Rodriguez fights a
much more experienced Armenta (13-5, 11 KOs), who
has knocked out 2000 U.S. Olympian Dante Craig and
extended current WBA light middleweight champion
Yuri Foreman and top contender Sechew Powell the
full distance in their fights. Powell headlines the
Mar. 19th show.
Rodriguez is promoted by DiBella
Entertainment, managed by Elite Management (Larry
Army), and trained by Peter Manfredo, Sr. Go online
to
www.edwinrodriguezboxing.com
for more information about Edwin and his team.
