CUBA:  BOXING GLORY LOST...  Part 3 of a 5 Part Series

The Cuban government’s abolishment of professional sports in the early 1960s had an immediate & profound impact on the country’s sporting landscape.  Boxing and baseball were the leading participant sports in an island nation proud of its sports history, and their future would be forever changed with the decision to end professionalism in the country. 

This unexpected change in political philosophy led to the exodus of Cuba’s top professional boxers seeking their fame and fortune on foreign soil.  Among those deciding to continue their professional careers outside of Cuba were Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos, Benny “Kid” Paret,  Luis Manuel Rodriguez and Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles.  

Each one would ultimately reach the pinnacle of their sport by winning a World Championship, and all except Paret were later inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. 

Luis Manuel Rodriguez, the Cuban Welterweight champion, began his career in 1956 at the age of 18 years old.  He compiled an unbeaten record of  32-0 with 11 KO victories by the time he fought his last professional fight in Cuba in August 1960.   An outstanding  boxer with excellent speed and counter punching ability, he twice beat Virgil Akins,  the former World Welterweight Champion, and also twice beat Benny “Kid” Paret, who would later become World Welterweight Champion.   He also established himself as a leading contender by defeating veterans Chico Vejar,  Isaac Logart,  Joe Miceli, Gomeo Brennan and Charley Scott.   

Leaving his native land, he joined many of his fellow Cuban boxers and settled in Miami, Florida.  After winning several fights on American soil, Rodriguez would suffer his first professional defeat on a controversial split decision to Emille Griffith in December 1960.  This was the first of four fights that Rodriguez would have against Griffith in his career, with Griffith winning three of them, all in very close, disputed decisions.  In fact, Rodriguez actually won more total rounds than Griffith did in their four fights combined. Griffith would become a stumbling block in Rodriguez’s career, but the Cuban would certainly get his revenge several years later in Los Angeles. 

Raising his record to 39-1 with 14 KOs,  Rodriguez was scheduled to fight a tough Texas welterweight named Curtis Cokes, also a future World Welterweight champion, in August 1961.  On the flight from Miami to Texas a few days prior to the fight,  Rodriguez’s worst fears would turn into a nightmarish reality when the airplane was high jacked and diverted to his native Cuba.  Rodriguez was fearful that he would be arrested, held and possibly jailed by the Cuban authorities once his identity was discovered.  All of the Cuban fighters that had left the island nation to continue their careers abroad had become unwelcome citizens in the country, a fact that made Rodriguez uneasy.   He was finally relieved when the plane was authorized to leave the island and return to the United States.   

This very unsettling experience left Rodriguez quite shaken and he proceeded to lose a decision to Cokes days later.   Rodriguez would have his revenge in the rematch with Cokes a few months later, winning a decision in which he won almost every round.  In establishing himself once again as a top contender in the division, Rodriguez would also defeat such notable names as Jose “Monon” Gonzalez, Federico Thompson, Yama Bahama and the veteran Joey Giambra.  He had now positioned himself as the best fighter in the division, a distinction that earned him a rematch against his nemesis, Emille Griffith, who was now the Welterweight champion of the World.  

The title fight against Griffith in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, in March 1963 was part of a championship tripleheader that evening.  Hoping to erase the memory of his earlier loss to Griffith,  a determined Rodriguez clearly won by unanimous decision and had become the new Welterweight champion of the World.  Rodriguez had finally reached the pinnacle of his sport.   Sadly, one of the fights on the card that evening saw countryman “Sugar” Ramos win the featherweight title by knocking out champion Davey Moore.  Unfortunately, Moore died two days later from injuries sustained in the fight.    

Determined to show that his title victory against Griffith was a deserving one, Rodriguez agreed to a rematch against his nemesis three months later at Madison Square Garden, New York.  In a decision that baffled many boxing experts and most fans in attendance, Griffith again became the Welterweight champion of the World, being awarded a controversial split decision victory.  One of the judges named Rodriguez the winner in 10 of the 15 rounds, but the other two judges inexplicably scored the fight for Griffith.    Rodriguez’s short reign as champion, coupled with his three bitter defeats at the hands of Griffith, would become a dark chapter in Luis Manuel’s illustrious career. 

In the six years following the loss of his title, Rodriguez won 45 more fights against only 4 losses, and remained one of the best fighters in the world. Among the loses was another controversial split decision loss to Griffith; among his many victories, Rodriguez had beaten many of the best fighters in the world such as Denny Moyer, Wilber “Skeeter” McClure (twice),  Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (twice),  Garland “Rip” Randall,  George Benton,  Bennie Briscoe (twice), Vicente “Paul” Rondon,  Joe “Buzz” Shaw,   Jimmy Lester,  “Rocky” Rivero,  Tom “The Bomb” Bethea, and Rafael Gutierrez.   

The Gutierrez victory earned Rodriguez the right to fight Nino Benvenuti, then Middleweight Champion, in Benvenuti’s hometown of Rome, Italy.  The highly anticipated 15-round fight was fiercely fought, with Rodriguez opening a severe cut on Benvenuti’s eyebrow that bled profusely.  Many observers stated afterwards that the fight would have been stopped had it been held anywhere but in Benvenuti’s backyard, with Rodriguez as the winner.  However, with a rabid hometown crowd wildly cheering him on, Benvenuti knocked out his challenger with a single, devastating  left hook to Rodriguez’s jaw in the 11^th round.  Rodriguez was unable to rise before the count reached ten, and was counted out by the referee.   The knockout loss was the only one suffered by Rodriguez in his long, illustrious career.   His trainer,  Hall-of-Famer Angelo Dundee, would later say that both fighters were never the same after the grueling fight.

Following the Benvenuti loss, Rodriguez managed to win another 11 fights, but after losing 4 of his last 6 fights, his skills had clearly eroded. Following his loss to Donato Paduano in Canada, Rodriguez retired from boxing finishing with a record of 107 victories, 49 by KO,  and only 13 losses.  He was clearly one of the best, and most underrated fighters of his generation.  Rodriguez passed away in 1996 at the age of 59 in his adopted home of Miami, Florida. 

The decision to leave his native Cuba to continue his professional career allowed Luis Manuel Rodriguez  to reach the pinnacle of his sport and boxing immortality.   Rodriguez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York in 1997, the highest honor bestowed to a professional boxer.  His name is forever etched in boxing history. 

However, the sporting community in Cuba was deprived of an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge Rodriguez’s achievements due to the government’s hard-line stance against professional sports in their country.  Cuba’s loss was clearly our gain.

~Next Profile, Part 4:  Jose 'Mantequilla' Napoles~

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10-21-2008