Long one of cable television’s most exciting fighters, light middleweight contender Delvin Rodriguez and his team feel he is deserving of the big fight that has eluded him to this point in his thirteen-year pro career. Just last month, one such fight came close to coming to fruition, but evaporated in deflating fashion. Undeterred, and with the options plentiful in his weight class, Rodriguez has his sights sight on the rest of the division’s big names.
Back on February 10th, Rodriguez (26-5-3, 14 KOs) of Danbury, Connecticut sat down for an interview with ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna during a live Friday Night Fights telecast. As Rodriguez, also a commentator for ESPN Deportes, sat there he believed he was close to signing for a fight with Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. When asked what was next for him, Rodriguez cracked a smile, hinting that such a big fight was coming close. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, about 30 minutes later, Osuna would come on air to report that Alvarez had signed on for a May 5th bout with Shane Mosley instead.
For Rodriguez the Alvarez fight represented not only the largest payday of his career and a chance to become a world champion, but also the opportunity to prove himself to the skeptical boxing public. “It was very disappointing because it was a fight where I would have been able to show the boxing world what I’m all about,” says Rodriguez. “At 147, I wasn’t 100 percent every time I stepped in the ring. I was feeling weak and I didn’t belong in the division because I was struggling with the weight class. I believe there is still a little bit of doubt in some people’s mind. Fighting “Canelo” would have been great. He is a star right now and it would have been the opportunity of a lifetime. So it was very disappointing.”
Perhaps making lost opportunity even harder to swallow was how close it came to becoming a reality. “From what I was being told, it was down to us and Mosley,” explained Rodriguez’ manager A.J. Galante. “There was nothing set in stone we were told. Obviously it would have been a huge opportunity and we were under the impression we were going to get the match. We were down to the final two and we were very excited for it. It would have been a great challenge.”
With Alvarez’ fight taking place as the co-feature to the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto main event on pay-per-view, the decision on his opponent likely came down to whose name would sell more buys and not necessarily which was the better fight. Mosley’s is a name recognizable to more casual fans than that of Rodriguez, who offered his opinion on the match-up when asked to put on his analyst cap.
“I think it is a fight that people are not really interested to see,” says Roriguez of Alvarez-Mosley. “This boxing world is all about the last fight. Whatever you do last is what people remember. Shane Mosley’s last fight, he was pretty much trying to survive. So I think people aren’t really interested in that fight and I think people would have liked to see me and “Canelo.” Unfortunately it didn’t go that way. It is just the politics of boxing.”
There is a stark contrast in the shaping of Rodriguez’ and Alvarez’ careers. As a welterweight, Rodriguez played the game the way it is supposed to be played. He gradually moved up in the rankings, fighting stiffer and stiffer competition until he was in position to fight in a title eliminator. He won his title eliminator and fought for a world title, losing a controversial decision. He was rightfully granted another eliminator, which he won, to get another crack a world title, which ended in a controversial draw. Again he fought in an eliminator, losing yet another controversial decision. On the other hand, Alvarez had a carefully managed run lead to a vacant WBC Light Middleweight title bout against a natural welterweight in Matthew Hatton last year. In his three defenses since, Alvarez has yet to meet a capable challenger still in the prime of his career.
“He’s definitely been the golden boy pretty much,” says Rodriguez of Alvarez. “They brought him up the right way, babying him. Everything he wanted he’s had come real easy, put right in his hand. There’s no doubt in my mind, the kid has talent. He’s a very strong kid. He’s very dedicated to the sport at this moment. He has the youth and the power, but honestly he hasn’t been tested. Shane Mosley is not on top of his game right now and he’s not in his best years, but he will test him. Shane does still have speed and Shane could hurt him. The kid has talent, but he just hasn’t been tested yet. We don’t know how he is going to react in a real fight and that’s what makes a fighter. A fighter that knows how to adapt in a fight and come back and we haven’t seen that from him yet.”
With Alvarez in the rearview for the moment, Rodriguez and his team are looking for a fight with one of the division’s other title holders or leading contenders. “I talk to our promoter Joe DeGuardia almost every day and I tell him we want the best guys out there,” says Galante. “In all four sanctioning bodies were are number five, so there are just four guys ahead of us to get to one of those [champions]. We will take on whoever, we are just looking forward. If a title eliminator is there, that is no problem. We are willing to do whatever it takes. We are definitely looking for a championship, and however we have to do it, that’s what we will do.”
Having paid his dues and never having had anything handed to him, Rodriguez remains determined for another chance to prove that he belongs with the top guys in his division. “We want to fight guys that are on top of us that are going to put us on the next step,” explains Rodriguez. “We don’t want to fight anybody underneath. I believe I have done my job already. I have been through the bad decisions, bad management, bad promotion. I have been through everything you can name in this career. I put in my work and I think I have proven myself. So I just want to go forward. I want to fight somebody that is going to take me to the next level and get me to that world title.”
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
