Undefeated professional Edwin Rodriguez of Worcester, Mass., returns to Boston June 28, looking to boost his record to 7-0 in a six-round bout against Hector Hernandez of Phoenix. Hernandez is unquestionably Rodriguez’s toughest opponent to date. Hernandez has a record of 10-2-2 with four knockouts and has won four of his past five bouts. Both Rodriguez and Hernandez stand 6-foot..
The 23-year-old Rodriguez and Hernandez are the special attraction on a card featuring undefeated and world-ranked middleweight contender John Duddy in the main event.
“I’m excited to be taking on someone like Hernandez,” said Rodriguez. “He’s big and has a good record. It’ll be a great test for me. But I’m confident it’s a test I’ll pass.”
“Edwin has shown improvement with each fight,” said his trainer, Peter Manfred Sr. “I’m certain Edwin’s stamina and endurance will be pushed in this fight, because I have no doubt Hernandez will be right there from the opening bell.”
“We’re delighted with the progress Edwin is making,” said his manager, Larry Army Jr. “Of course, there are areas on which Edwin needs to work and in which to get better. This fight, definitely, is a step up for Edwin and, perhaps, more than any of his first six bouts, should tell us quite a bit about where he’s at.”
Rodriguez, who has a record of 6-0 with five knockouts, made his six-round debut last month.
Rodriguez, a former two-time national amateur champion who turned pro during late January, is coming off a fourth-round technical knockout of Anthony Cannon May 17 in Dorchester, Mass.; a first-round knockout of Michael Birthmark May 3 in Worley, Idaho; a fourth-round technical knockout of Jeffrey Osborne Jr. April 12 in Boston; a one-sided unanimous decision over veteran James North March 28 in Salamanca, N.Y.; a fourth-round knockout of Fitzgerald Johnson Feb. 8 in Boston; and a first-round knockout of Samuel Ortiz Gomez Jan. 26 in Mansfield, Mass.
Rodriguez won the USA Boxing national championship for 2005 and the Golden Gloves national championship for 2006, both at 165 pounds.
Rodriguez, who has lived in Worcester since arriving in the United States from his native Dominican Republic during 1998, considered competing for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, but the premature birth of twins, Edwin Jr. and Serena Lynn, changed his priorities. Stephanie Rapa, Edwin’s fiancee and mother of the twins, is a graduate of Holy Cross with a degree in political science and has been accepted by the Western New England School of Law.
You may read more about Edwin Rodriguez at his web site: edwinrodriguezboxing.com