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09/13/2007 Archived Entry: "Francisco Rodriguez Talks about Friday’s Fight vs. Ivan & More!"
Francisco Rodriguez Talks about Friday’s Fight vs. Ivan & More!
By Juan C. Ayllon
CHICAGO—It’s a family affair for 23 year-old bantamweight professional boxer Francisco Rodriguez, who’s an exciting up and comer at 9-1 with 6 knockouts.
A former amateur boxing standout, he and his wife, Sonia, 22, live with his parents in a three bedroom, two-flat in Chicago with his amateur trophies, boxing gloves, trunks and other boxing trinkets occupying one of the rooms. Rodriguez’ father, Evaristo, Sr., is a machine operator, and, together with Franciso's mother, Maria, he helps motivate Francisco toward world title hopes.
“My mom’s always [saying,] ‘You’ve got to eat good,’ and ‘what did you eat today,’” says Rodriguez. “[And I say,] ‘Oh, I ate this,’ [and she says,] ‘No, you’ve got to eat a little bit better, you know, more vegetables.’ And my dad, every day he comes home from work [and says,] ‘Did you jog today? How much did you jog?’ [and] ‘Did you go to the gym?’
“Every day, they’re telling me, ‘This is what you’ve got to do,’’ continues Rodriguez. “You know, ‘Don’t go out,’ ‘Box, move,’ you know, ‘Once you’ve got him hurt, finish him, if you could.’ They’re always there motivating me a hundred percent.”
In addition to motivating Rodriguez at home, his father—who, along with the rest of his family, hails from Guadalajara, Mexico—works in his corner at fights, along with his mother, who always attends his bouts.
Rodriguez’s brother, Tito, also helps train him.
Of his wife, a bank office worker studying to become a teacher, he says, “She’s supportive, but she doesn’t like to see me fight. She doesn’t like it, but she’s always there supporting me and just supporting me sometimes just to get up and jog.”
His family support is mirrored by his fans, who love his aggressive, action-packed style and cheer him heavily whenever he fights.
This is good, because on Friday, he will face Ivan Rodriguez, a popular, all-action Puerto Rican fighter with a record of 8-3-1 with 3 knockouts who will bring an aggressive style to the ring and promises a very challenging fight. They will be fighting for the Illinois State super bantamweight title.
Taking a few moments from his busy schedule, Francisco Rodriguez granted the CBZ an exclusive interview.
On how training for his bout versus Ivan Rodriguez has been going:
[It’s been] Excellent. Right now, I’ve been two months working out and sparring good, so we’re ready to go. I worked with one guy that’s gonna turn pro that day and another guy that’s been a pro for a while that’s a 135-pounder. So, you know, I got in a nice 10 rounds, eight rounds—it depended on the day. But, it’s been a good training [camp.]
On anticipating this match:
Oh, yeah, we’re excited to fight him again. We actually fought twice as amateurs. Thankfully, everything went okay—we won both fights [by decision]. One fight was one of them bar fight tournaments, or stuff like that; and the second time, we fought for the state, to go to the Regionals, and we fought there at 119 [pounds]. I beat him there the second time easier.
He’s a strong fighter; you know, he’s aggressive, so I have respect for him. But, I know what I’ve got to do already and I kind of know his style. I know that he’s aggressive, so I’ve got to make sure that I don’t let him come in, and just keep him outside and do my work—throw my combinations and move out.
On keys to his success:
Ah, you know, just working hard and having my dad as my trainer. You know, he pushes me always to the limit when I’m getting ready to fight. So, I guess him and my brother, they’re always there pressuring me, making sure that I’m ready to fight.
I don’t see it like a rivalry like everybody does. I just see it as another fight—you know, going up there and trying to do what I’ve got to do to come out with my hand up in the air [in victory].
On this being his second fight signed up with 8 Count Productions:
It feels good. It was a while since I fought. My last time was in January. After that, I didn’t have anything until July when I signed up in June. So, I feel much better now being signed that I know I have more fights coming up for sure and be able to follow my dream, you know, to become a world champion.
Maybe by next year, we’re trying to get one of the stepping stone titles and maybe the following year, go for a world title, depending on how everything goes.
[I want to win a title] at bantamweight. It depends on how my body develops. You know, if my body’s asking me to move up, and I can’t cut down, then I’ll take that step up to 122 [pounds]. If it happens to 126, then we’ll go up to 126. And, we’ll go from there.
On how he got into professional boxing:
Well, my father was a professional fighter in Mexico and he did a couple of fights here. And, I have two older brothers and they were always in the gym. So, I was basically raised in the gym. I’ve been in the gym since I was three years old.
On living in Chicago:
I was the only one [in my family] born here in Chicago. I went to Calvin Park High School…[and graduated in] 2002.
I’ve had some college, you know. [I was studying] Business [at] Wright College. Now, I’m just trying my boxing baby. I want to get a little bit more fights. But, the money’s coming in better. I’ll go back [to college]. But right now, I’m just dedicated to boxing a hundred percent.
On how it feels to be in the featured co-main event of Friday’s Telefutura fight?
It feels good. I’ve been on it a couple times as a swing bout and, you know, I have family in Texas and in all of San Francisco and they seen me, so now, they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re going to see you,’ and they tell me, like, my uncle told me, ‘Man, my kids see you on the TV and they go crazy when they see you,’ so I mean, every fight, I send them a poster with my autograph to my aunts and uncles and cousins out there.
On why he’s into boxing:
I started as an amateur really late. I did a couple fights as an amateur when I was a kid and I didn’t like it. But once I started seeing my brother, Tito, win the Golden Gloves and Nationals, I started getting motivated. I wanted to be like him.
So, at age 14, I started fighting more tournaments. I went into the Golden Gloves at age 15 and when I lost at the Olympic Trials at the quarter-finals, I got really depressed, ‘cause I knew that the guy didn’t really beat me. I lost to some guy from California. I don’t remember his name. I fought three guys from California and in the quarter-finals, I lost.
And, I came home [one day] and my wife—well, we were going out—[and I talked]. I was getting really depressed ...I just said I was going to do one fight. One day, I went to the gym and I told my dad, ‘I’m going to do one fight and, it depends on how I like it, I’ll do another one.’
And you know, I fell in love with it after my first pro fight. I feel good once I’m up there.
* * *
Tickets for “PRIDE” can be purchased in advance by calling the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800. Doors open at 5:30pm with the first bell scheduled for 6:30pm.
The Congress Theater is conveniently located minutes from downtown Chicago at 2135 N. Milwaukee, just one mile west of the Kennedy Expressway by way of the Armitage Ave. exit. For additional information, please visit their website at www.congresschicago.com
“PRIDE” is presented by Chicago ’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. along with TCF Bank, TECATE Beer and Aero Mexico. The SOLO BOXEO broadcast will be viewed in more than 42 US markets and 70 foreign countries.
