So, why should you care about this fight? The outcome can be predicted by closing your eyes and picturing a methodical boxing clinic put on by Andre Ward. What is there to care about? Edwin Rodriguez is a great unknown and in his last fight he blitzed a tough Denis Grachev and stopped him in one round. This is a far cry from the Rodriguez people found tedious to watch fighting Donovan George and Will Rosinsky in late 2011, early 2012. The big question is, can Rodriguez match Ward’s physicality and not let Ward control the pace of the fight?
It seems like the way for Rodriguez to win is to start fast and potentially hurt Ward and make Ward face adversity as in the Darnell Boone fight. Ward has been out of the ring for 14 months and one thing that is not being talked about is ring rust, which by all accounts is real. Ward, a known gym rat, is known for his incredible workouts that sometimes turn into spectacles.
To be fair, Ward came off almost a year layoff between the Carl Froch fight heading into the Chad Dawson fight and that was Ward’s best performance to date. The questions will be answered on Rodriguez’s end since Ward is solid as a rock. Even in the instance of looking spotty against Sakio Bika, he still found a way to get past the tough moments and make it his fight. Rodriguez has never been on the big stage. His last fight was broadcast on a channel called “BEin TV” that almost no one knows exists. Ward, on the other hand, has not fought on a major fight cards since 2009….that’s four years of experience on Ward’s side.
Then there is the ugly undertone to the fight. Rodriguez took the route of using VADA, an anti-doping agency that if you train with Victor Conte seems willing to sponsor you for 24/7 drug testing. So what’s bizarre about that? Ward refused to take any form of anti-doping tests and rather than a backlash of bad press coming out of the Rodriguez/Conte camp, things went silent. It speaks to the undertone of the sport and honestly, also about how drug testing and anti-doping organizations are more or less politics. It’s an area I find boring and avoid at all costs because I never wanted to be a hall monitor in my college dorm and as a grown man I have no concern about what grown men do – yet as a journalist it is a plot going into the fight.
Other ramblings
- Sergio Mora needs to look impressive against Milton Nunez, who has had 14 of his 35 fights end in the first round. Mora, who has been disrespected by Abel Sanchez, Triple G’s trainer and essentially the whole boxing world up until this point, will be looking for Mora to make some type of statement. Mora has had his struggles staying relevant in boxing after a rough draw against Shane Mosley on PPV that many heavily mocked. That fight seemed to turn many fans against Mora, even though as he states Mosley was in three bad fights after that and it seemed to not affect anyone’s opinion on him. With the public opinion viewing Mora as “the guy who lost to Brian Vera twice,” Mora needs to make a statement to get on television heading into 2014.
- Will John Molina be on the card? I am no genius, but normally when a fighter is facing TBA the week of the fight it means the fighter will not be on the card. Molina insists he is still on the card and coming off a career saving final round dramatic TKO stoppage of Mickey Bey and hopes to parlay another win into a title shot since, let’s face it, at lightweight, Molina is one of the biggest names in the division and his style is aesthetically one of the most desirable for fight fans when he decides to throw punches.
- Tony Hirsch will be fighting DonYil Livingston in an interesting affair as Livingston, Andre Ward’s cousin, will face Hirsch, Andre Ward’s sparring partner. Hirsch has long been thought of as one of the toughest fighters whose record does not reflect it will be facing Livingston, who has recently hit hard luck. After starting strong in 2010, Livingston has dropped three straight fights, most notably being knocked out by Paul Mendez back in September of last year, as well as arguably getting robbed of decision against Luis Arias on the Mayweather – Guerrero undercard. Hirsch has long since been trying to break the label of “journeyman,” but has yet to get that marquee win as he lost recently against John Jackson. This fight will be a battle of who will stay around and who might be reconsidering things in life.
- Brandon Gonzales was robbed of a decision against Thomas Ossthuizen earlier this year and will return against Jonathan Nelson, an undefeated fighter we know little about. Nelson has done what he has needed to do, but to say this is a step up for him is an understatement. At this point Eddie Caminero and Curtis Howell have been his biggest test and Nelson had far more experience than both fighters. This will be the first time Nelson will be in the ring with someone with a winning record and the same amount of experience.
Juan Funez will be in action for the first time since April of this year, when he fought in the Citizen’s Bank Arena. Why does this matter? Well, he knocked out Christian Cartier, who recently gave John Abellla all he could handle in front of a packed crowd on October 12th. Funez has a style that presents fun fights, but his aggression could make him vulnerable at times. Funez won a very close decision in his first outing against a lesser foe than Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez, who has struggled getting wins has fought a murders row of northern California prospects facing Jesus Sandoval, Andy Vences, Oscar Valdez and Pedro Toledo. This will be an interesting test for Funez.
...his weight N wanting to be a rapper N all the BS sooner or later he goin catch a L might as well be to Floyd N make $$$$
..like I said id be impressed if canelo can beat Molina cleanly w/o controversy where others have failed.
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..ppv would have sold more if the showtime card was airing that same night..still was an epic day of boxing
Con has fans?