Boxing Prospect Rodriguez In UK Sparring Ex-World Champ Froch

ByBoxing Press

America’s leading super middleweight prospect, undefeated Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez, departed today for the United Kingdom to serve 10 days as a sparring partner for Carl “The Cobra” Froch (26-1, 30 KOs), who is preparing for his WBC title fight showdown in Showtime’s Super Eight Tournament, November 27 in Finland against Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs).

Rodriguez (17-0, 13 KOs) is coming off of a scintillating performance last Friday night in the main event on ShoBox: The New Generation, stopping James McGirt in the ninth round for the vacant WBC USNBC super middleweight title in Fargo, North Dakota.

Rodriguez (17-0, 13 KOs), fighting out of Worcester (MA), had prepped for his fight against McGirt by sparring two weeks in Australia with middleweight Danny Geale (23-1, 14 KOs), who knocked out former IBF middleweight champion Roman Karmazin in their recent IBF eliminator fight.

In his signature victory to date, the DiBella Entertainment-promoted Rodriguez cemented his reputation as the No. 1 super middleweight prospect in the United States. “Edwin’s fight against McGirt legitimized claims for him being the No. 1 super middleweight in the country, if not the world,”

Rodriguez’ manager Larry Army proclaimed. “Sparring in Australia was an eye-opening experience for Edwin, who was over there with a top fighter (Geale) in the middleweight division. Sparring Froch, who was a world super middleweight champion, is invaluable for Edwin because he’s trying to get where Froch has been and remains.

“He will be able to measure himself as a fighter and man against Froch and that experience is priceless. Froch’s people wanted Edwin as a sparring partner because he’s an explosive puncher like Abraham.”

The 25-year-old Rodriguez has moved to the head of the class, past top American 168-pound prospects such as Marcus Johnson and David Estrada, to where he rates, arguably, as the best among the next great wave of super middleweights prospects worldwide, along with 2008 Olympic gold medalist from England, James “Chunky” DeGale (8-0, 6 KOs), South Africans Isaac Chilemba (15-1-1, 8 KOs) — reigning IBO title-holder — and Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oostuizen (11-0-1, plus Australian-based New Zealand native Junior Talipeau (17-1-1, 5 KOs).

Born in the Dominican Republic, Edwin started boxing in 2001 and he developed into one of the top amateurs in the United States, compiling a solid 84-9 record, including gold-medal performances in the 2005 USA Boxing National Championships and 2006 U.S. National Golden Gloves Tournament. Rodriguez, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Dominican Republic, became the first Massachusetts boxer to win the middleweight title at The Nationals since “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler in 1973.