David Rodriguez; A heavy handed whole hearted heavyweight
 INTERVIEW By Benny Henderson Jr (Sept 3, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
When I first ran across the undefeated heavyweight David Rodriguez 26-0 (25 KO’s) a few years back, the first thing I saw was what everybody else does, a 6’5” hard hitting power house of a heavyweight. But as Nino and I conversed on the ‘sweet science’, then went into the subject of family and dabbed into faith and so on, I found that all though the El Paso native could knock your block off, he was one entertaining individual, he has personality to go along with the power, something the fight world needs.
Rodriguez has had success in his nearly ten years as a professional fighter, injuries has set back his career a few years but the twenty-nine year old rising star is not looking back on the setbacks, but to the future, which looks bright. In his last outing which was June 30th on the under card of the Holyfield vs. Savarese card, Rodriguez took out the then undefeated 6’9” Rick Dyer in two rounds, giving Rodriguez his seventh consecutive knock out victory, twenty-five knock outs in his twenty-six bouts.
Not just a rising star in the heavyweight division, but a true role model as Rodriguez takes time out for the community, and just recently he had a day out with underprivileged kids in his first annual “Nino Boxing Camp”. Something that Dave calls giving back. So all though Nino is on the verge of getting the big fight he yearns for, in the mean time he is just being Nino, a heavy handed whole hearted heavyweight that I call friend.
Read on to see what David had to say on his last win, upcoming future and his first annual “Nino Boxing Camp”, enjoy.
Benny Henderson Jr.
Give the readers your thoughts on your win over “Big” Rick Dyer was it everything you expected?
David Rodriguez
Yes, I expected that kind of fight; I thought I was going to get him out in the first. I stopped him early in the second so it all went as I thought it would, to be honest with you I expected to get him out with in three rounds.
BH
Dyer was undefeated with all his wins via knock out coming into this bout with you; he did catch you a few times. Is he as hard of a hitter as his record portrays him to be?
DR
Ah no, to be honest I was not shaken up at all; he was just more physical than anything else. He was unorthodox, kind of a hard fighter to fight. But once I got my range I felt everything coming through because I knew his head movement would be at an minimum and I knew that once I got my range and start finding him with my jab I knew my hook would follow right after that. I think I knocked him down with a right hand in the first round. His head was just there.
BH
This was the third or fourth time that you fought in the Don Haskins Center, five or six times for you to fight in front of your hometown crowd. How much more different was this fight pressure wise, I mean not only fighting in front of your fans, but being on a Pay Per View show with the four time heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, did that add more pressure to this fight?
DR
Oh yes, it was immense pressure, not only am I having to perform in my hometown, with people either coming to watch me win or lose, but on PPV with hundreds of thousands of people watching the fight. I knew that I had to perform at my best.
BH
August 4th you had your first “Nino Boxing Camp” for underprivileged kids at the LA Brea studios in Los Angeles. What was that all about?
DR
It was just giving back to the community, they were underprivileged kids, at risk kids and I thought I am starting to deal with a little bit of success, and even at this point I should be giving back. As I move along in the rankings and in other fields of my life I am going to always give back. It is a necessary thing to do for anybody that is a role model.
BH
How many kids came out to take the lessons?
DR
About sixty or seventy, it was an all day event, we had blast, I was training them and getting them excited about boxing, to let them know that they have a way out, not just through boxing but with anything that they want to do.
BH
I know that these kids learned something from you, but what did you learn from them, what did you take away from this experience?
DR
Truthfully I just felt good, it is good to give back, you always feel better when you are giving, it is better to give then receive. To me it just fills a void, you feel that it is a necessary thing to do, like you are helping humanity. I don’t think I can have a level of success without giving back at all, I think that is selfish. The lesson that I took from this opportunity was that I am going to get bigger and better and give back bigger and better.
BH
We spoke before and your were supposed to go hang out with banana hands.
DR
Oh yeah banana hands (Laughs) Tony Robbins, I went to his seminar, he had me as a guest. I did not speak or anything but I got to hang with him afterward a little bit, I went there for four days and you learn every thing about the human mind. He was real cool.
BH
What’s next for your career, I know right now you are chilling out with your buddies, but what is next?
DR
I plan on having a fight in either late October or early November, we do not know who, when or where, but I should know something by the end of the month and you will be the first know. There is a lot of things that are happening and on my table right now, which you know about, but with boxing I really do want to get a fight by the end of the year.
BH
You and I both know that you had some set backs in your career with injuries and such, but now it seems as if all is finally starting to fall into place, do you agree?
DR
I am just grateful to God for everything, I leave it in God’s hands and everything is in His time.
BH
Anything you would like to say in closing of this interview, anything to the fans the doubters the heavyweight division?
DR
Thanks to the doubters and the fans, the doubters are the ones who spark the fire in my ass to keep going hard, and I love my fans, I need them both.
I would like to thank David Rodriguez for once again taking out the time to speak to Doghouse Boxing, for more info on Nino please check out www.ninoboxing.com.
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