Edwin 'La Bomba' Rodriguez lands in Monaco for 'Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super Four'

Saturday afternoon on Integrated Sports PPV in North America TEAM LA BOMBA (L-R): Larry Army, manager, undefeated Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez, and Ronnie Shields, head trainer. WORCESTER, Mass. (March 24, 2013) - Undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) broke his Houston training camp yesterday and he landed today in Monaco with his team for this Saturday afternoon's "Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super 4" at Casino de Monte-Carlo. Rodriguez, the reigning United States Boxing Assocaition (USBA) champion, meets unbeaten 2008 Argentina Olympian Ezequiel "El Olimpico" Maderna (19-0, 13 KOs) in the opening round of four-fighter tournament, which also includes a light heavyweight fight between two-time, two division world champion Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18 KOs) and Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KOs). The two winners will advance to the $1,000,000 (60-40 split) "Super Four," championship final, to be contested at a catch-weight of 171 ½ lbs., on July 13 in Monaco.   The "Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super 4" is being distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 p.m. ET - 12:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH and Avail-TVN in the United States and in Canada via Bell TV for a suggest retail price of only $24.95.  In addition, the event will be available via on-line Pay Per View at http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Gennady_Golovkin_vs_Nobuhiro_Ishida/1896 To order the "Super Four" PPV, headlined by WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin defending against former world champion Nobuhiro Ishida, go to your cable company's PPV listings for Saturday afternoon (starting at 3 p.m. ET; event telecast starting at 3:30 p.m. ET ) and look under boxing for Golovkin vs. Ishida. "We had a great training camp," Rodriguez said before he departed. "I got in a lot of great work with (world-rated light heavyweight) Cornelius White, who is 6' 3" with a long reach. We sparred a lot of rounds. I feel that, since I've been working with (head trainer) Ronnie (Shields), I've become a more complete fighter. I've tightened-up my defense and my offense has been great. There's always room for improvement, though, and the key to getting better is long training camps like this one." Rodriguez is the No. 3-rated super middleweight in the world in the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF), as well as ranked No. 12 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and No. 10 by The Ring Magazine. Fighting outside of his native country for the first time, 2008 Argentina Olympian Maderna is ranked No. 5 by the WBO and No. 13 by the IBF. "He's a good boxer-puncher," Rodriguez spoke about his relatively unknown opponent. "He resembles Aaron Pryor, Jr. a little. I'm confident going into this fight. I always am because I believe in my ability and skills. I'll be ready Saturday night." Rodriguez must get past Maderna to fight the Erdei-Grachev winner in the most lucrative fight of his career. The 27-year-old Dominican Republic native, who was a two-time U.S. national amateur champion, won't allow the Super Four championship fight to be a distraction, nor the birth of his third child in a few weeks. "I'm a professional and I will not allow any distractions," Rodriguez concluded. "I'm a laid back person and 100-percent focused on this fight. I'm fighting a 19-0 former Olympian in the toughest challenge of my life. I can't afford to look past him or I won't be in the championship fight. The big money in the championship motivates me. I honestly feel the same way going into every fight. Boxing is a tough sport. I need to win and do it impressively to get where I want to be - world champion. Everything starts with this fight." Follow Edwin Rodriguez on Twitter @labombaboxing.

Edwin Rodriguez becoming more complete to Compete with elite super middleweights

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Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (Photo by Howard Schatz) WORCESTER, MA (July 26, 2012) - Most established prizefighters take extended periods off between fights to recharge. Undefeated Dominican sensation Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), however, practically lives in the gym continuing to train hard as he looks ahead to his first world title shot opportunity, hopefully, in 2013. Instead of taking a well-deserved vacation after his solid March 17th win by unanimous decision over Donovan George for the United States Boxing Association (USBA) super middleweight championship, Rodriguez returned home to Worcester (MA) to be with his family for only a week before returning to work. Even though he's driven to succeed for his young family, it's strictly business for "La Bomba," at least at this stage of his career, as he continues to makes great sacrifices now in order to invest in the future for his wife, Stephanie, and their five-year-old twins, Serena and Edwin, Jr., who are both special needs children. Rodriguez is a legitimate world title contender, who is rated as high as No. 3 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 4 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). He's also ranked No. 8 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), as well as No. 9 byThe Ring Magazine. Former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is now set in his sights, but only after Rodriguez gets past his next opponent, unbeaten Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs), headlining a DiBella Entertainment presented HBO Boxing After Dark show on September 29 from MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods. After spending several weeks at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, where he served as a chief sparring partner for Andy Lee as he prepared for his WBA middleweight title fight against Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr., Edwin headed Southwest to Houston to train with his mentor, Ronnie Shields. Once viewed as strictly a brawler with a devastating hook to the body, the 27-year-old Rodriguez displayed vastly improved defense, as well as a more effective jabs and increased head movement, in his impressive victory over George at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in the co-feature on a DiBella Entertainment card headlined by Sergio Martinez versus Mathew Macklin. Although he reverted to his old boxing style from his amateur days, Rodriguez' power punching was slightly diminished, so he's been working with Shields to become a more complete fighter, like a chameleon who constantly adjusts in the ring in order to compete with the elite of the super middleweight division. The elite of the 168-pound division, however, appears to be tied-up for the immediate future as WBA/WBC champion Andre Ward takes on WBA light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson in September, while IBF king Carl Froch and former champion Lucian Bute announced that they'll both have fights this fall before their rematch in March.   (Photo by Ed Diller)  "I sparred at Kronk Gym with guys from 160 pounds up to heavyweights like Eddie Chambers and Jonathan Banks," Rodriguez said. "It was a great experience for me. That place is a real doghouse with, as they say, plenty of fresh meat. I sparred with five different guys my first day. For my last fight with Donovan George, I worked so hard on defense to where I'm very comfortable. Every time I got cracked, I started to give it back, but Ronnie would calm me down between rounds and get me back working my jab. I hit Donovan George with some good shots, but I knew that he was a big puncher. I felt his power and knew what he had done in a fight with my chief sparring partner, (world rated light heavyweight) Cornelius White. George has one-punch power. It got a little boring and I wanted to brawl, but I stuck to my game plan. "Now, I am working on sitting down more on my punches. We're working to get my power back up so I can be more complete as an overall boxer/puncher. I'd fight any of the top super middleweights. There are so many champs and former champs in the super middleweight division right now. I'll keep working to improve, building my name, and sooner or later I'm going to get my world title shot. I've got a dream team working for me in (promoter) Lou DiBella, (manager) Larry Army and (trainer) Ronnie Shields. There's no rush, I'm still young. As Ronnie says, it's not about fighting for the world title - it's really about winning the world title and keeping it for a long time." Rodriguez finds himself in a wave of new contenders on the rise, including Thomas Oosthuizan, Adonis Stevenson, George Groves and James DeGale. "We believe Edwin can beat anybody in the super middleweight division, right now, because he's such a good multi-dimensional fighter," Army remarked. "He showed defensive improvement in his last fight. He has above average speed, a great chin, and he's working hard with Ronnie to bring back his power. Edwin's undefeated and he won't allow himself to lose. His brawling made him more exciting, but he's developing into a complete package. "His time will come. The super middleweight world title situation is unclear. Ward is fighting Dawson and nobody's sure if Ward will stay at super middleweight or move up to light heavyweight. Looks like neither Froch nor Bute will be available until next spring at the earliest and (World Boxing Organization champion Robert) Stieglitzwon't leave Germany. The guy we want is Pavlik. I don't believe he wants any part of Edwin. Pavlik had a much more difficult time fighting (Will) Rosinksy than Edwin did. But, we all know, Edwin can't even think about Pavlik until he takes care of business September 29th with Jason Escalera." Rodriguez has earned his boxing bones, so to speak, having defeated his last five opponents - George (22-1-1), Rosinsky (14-0), Chris Traietti (10-2), Aaron Pryor, Jr. (15-2) and James McGirt (22-2-1) - who had an accumulative record of 83-7-2 and an outstanding 90-percent winning percentage when they entered the ring to fight Edwin. No cupcakes for this dynamic Dominican, for sure, as he quickly approaches elite status himself. The fuse has been set for "La Bomba" and it's ready to explode very soon.

Rodriguez ready to replace Dirrell

Edwin 'La Bomba' Rodriguez Ready to replace Dirrell In WBC super middleweight title fight

Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez (Photo by Howard Schatz) WORCESTER, Mass. (May 14, 2012) - Undefeated super middleweight contender Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez is ready, willing and able to replace No. 1 contender Anthony Dirrell, who was recently injured in a motorcycle accident, and fight No. 2 rated Nikola Sjekloca for the vacant World Boxing Council ("WBC") 168-pound title. Sjekloca and Dirrell, who is out of action for a reported six months, were ordered to fight for the WBC title, after Andre Ward was declared "Champion in Recess."  "This is why I signed with Lou DiBella," Rodriguez said from Andy Lee's training camp where he is sparring with the Irish middleweight contender.  "It's my time and I'm ready to replace Dirrell against Sjekloca.  If anybody can get this opportunity for me it's Lou." The 27-year-old Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs), a native of the Dominican Republic who lives in Worcester (MA), has been showcased on HBO, three times on ShoBox, and featured twice on ESPN.  In his last five fights, he has beaten opponents with a combined record of 83-7-2, including three world-rated fighters (Don George, Aaron Pryor, Jr. and James McGirt), as well as unbeaten National amateur champion Will Rosinsky). "We're ready for the best but it looks like Ward's moving up in weight and (Lucian) Bute's tied-up with (Carl) Froch," Rodriguez' manager Larry Army noted.  "Right now, though, Edwin has earned a world title shot and we're confident he's ready to fight and beat Sjekloca." Sjekloca (24-0, 7 KOs), a 33-year-old Serbian who lives in Montenegro, is the reigning WBC International super middleweight champion.  However, he has fought only once outside of Montenegro and Serbia, in 2010 against 8-24 Artem Vychkin in a win by six-round decision.  The lone opponent of note Sjekloca has fought is four-time world title challenger and former European champion, Khoren Gevor, who lost a close 12-round decision to Sjekloca last year. Rodriguez, who cracked The Ring Magazine world ratings last week at No. 10, is ranked  No. 3 International Boxing Federation ("IBF"), No. 5 by the WBC, #8 World Boxing Association ("WBA") and #13 World Boxing Organization ("WBO"). Go online to www.EdwinRodriguezBoxing.com for more information.

Top Super Middleweight Edwin 'La Bomba' Rodriguez Turns into Ring Chameleon

(L-R) Donovan George-Edwin Rodriguez
(Photo by Ed Diller)

WORCESTER, Mass. (March 25, 2012) - In less than a full year, undefeated super middleweight Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez has turned into a ring chameleon, capable of brawling or boxing, pending the situation and, of course, particular opponent.

In his recent (Mar. 17) HBO debut at Madison Square Garden, Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) captured the United States Boxing Association ("USBA") super middleweight title, turning in a brilliant boxing exhibition to outclass tough Donovan "Da Bomb" George (22-2-1, 19 KOs), en route to a dominant 10-round decision for the Dominican native.

Unlike in many of his past fights, in which he simply stayed in the pocket, blasting away to his opponent's head and body, the 26-year-old Rodriguez patiently executed his trainer Ronnie's Shield's game plan, which stressed a stiff jab, defense, balance, and head-and-upper body movement.

"When Ronnie teaches," Edwin recently reflected on his sterling performance from his Worcester home, "you don't really have a choice. He goes over the game plan, over and over, and you just listen and do it. We got it done in training camp. I proved in this fight that I'm more than a brawler. I showed everybody a different look and will continue to do so each fight. It's a big mental adjustment in the ring. A few times, when I got hit by George, I was itching for the old me to come out and make it a war. But I've matured and understand that I need to stay relaxed in the ring and follow instructions from my corner. I'm maturing as a person, father, fighter, and in the ring.

"I proved in this fight that I'm skilled, not just a fighter, but I can still punch and my future opponents will have that in the back of their minds when they study my old fights. They can't go into a fight crazy, thinking I'm still going to stand and fight; I can box or brawl and both will only cause more problems for them. Ronnie's made me into a complete fighter and I can't say enough about Victor Conte's work. I'm much more dimensional than my nickname. My manager, Larry Army, has assembled one of the best, if not the best team in boxing. For now, I'm going to enjoy time with my family and let my body rest. I'll let my promoter, Lou DiBella, and Larry decide what's next for me."


(L-R) Donovan George-Edwin Rodriguez
(Photo by Deborah Liljegren / Team Rodriguez)

Edwin is ranked among the top 15 contenders by all four major governing bodies: #3 International Boxing Federation ("IBF"), #5 World Boxing Council ("WBC"), #8 World Boxing Association ("WBA") and #14 World Boxing Organization ("WBO").

"Now," Army noted, "we're in the driver's seat, especially in the United States. The Super Six guys have already fought each other. There's talk of us fighting (Andre) Ward or (Glen) Johnson. We could move up to light heavyweight and fight (Jean) Pascal. Edwin has the size, height and reach to fight at super middleweight or light heavyweight. We're in no rush, though, and Edwin can always use another fight or two working with Ronnie. It all depends on the most lucrative opportunity. Let's just say all offers will be seriously considered.

"Edwin came of age in that ring last week. The last 4 ½ years of hard work and sacrifices came together at Madison Square Garden and on HBO. Edwin made a very good fighter look average. Great fighters shine in the spotlight and that's what he did. Remember, Edwin's still only 26 years old and Edwin and Ronnie have only worked together a total of 22 weeks."

Against George, Rodriguez came out throwing a remarkable 47 jabs in the opening round, 413 in 10 rounds to go with 305 power punches, out-punching Donovan, 718-560 (215-156 total punches connected.)

"Under the guidance of Ronnie Shields," DiBella added, "Edwin is realizing his potential as the preeminent young American 168 pounder and a future world champion. The best is yet to come. You ain't seen nothing yet!"



(L-R) Donovan George-Edwin Rodriguez
(Photo by Ed Diller)

Shields, a two-time world title challenger, believes that there's a similarity between one of his past fighters -- the late, great Vernon Forrest -- and his new student, Rodriguez. "Neither was real patient until they understood the process," Shields explained. "Edwin reminds me of Vernon Forrest. Vernon sparred Pernell Whitaker and a lot of other good guys. He wanted to fight for the world title and was in a rush. I told Vernon then, Edwin now, that I don't want them to fight for the world title. A lot of guys have done that. I want Edwin, like Vernon, to win the world title and defend it multiple times to make money to take care of his family. Edwin's close right now, one or two more fights, and then he'll be ready for anybody in the world.

"I'm so proud of him because he listened to me. Last week's fight was perfection. It was all about defense because we knew all Donovan George could do was hit Edwin with his right hand. Edwin caught his right, or made him miss and came out from the opening bell firing his jab into George's face. He didn't know what to do. Edwin could have fought him toe-to-toe and maybe knocked him out, too, but the only chance George had of winning was to get lucky with a big punch. Edwin was the more skilled boxer and better fighter, so why take that chance? I kept it simple for him this fight and he did a great job. We've worked on correcting some bad habits and will continue doing that. You have to crawl before you walk and it does take time. Most importantly, Edwin proved that he's not just a brawler."

"La Bomba" is now a boxing chameleon - world class boxer-puncher.

Go online to http://www.edwinrodriguezboxing.com/  for more information about Edwin.

Edwin 'La Bomba' Rodriguez All In Saturday night vs. Donovan George

Victor Conte joins Team Rodriguez

Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez

(Photo by Howard Schatz)





WORCESTER, Mass. (March 13, 2012) - Four years of planning, hard work and dedication culminates Saturday night for Team Rodriguez as undefeated super middleweight Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez makes his HBO debut against Donovan George at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.



The International Boxing Federation's ("IBF") No. 3-ranked Rodriguez (20-0, 14 KOs) challenges IBF No. 11-rated, United States Boxing Association ("USBA") champion Donovan (22-1-1, 19 KOs) in the co-feature supporting the Sergio Martinez-Matthew Macklin main event on the DiBella Entertainment-promoted St. Patrick's Day show, THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up.



Rodriguez breaks his Houston training camp today (Tuesday) after eight weeks of preparation with his head trainer, Ronnie Shields, for Saturday evening's showdown that will likely propel the winner closer to a world title shot. "We had a great training camp, the best of my career," Rodriguez said. "I had great sparring, especially with Cornelius White. Ronnie's put together a great game plan for this fight and I'm ready. From the very beginning we've pointed towards a fight like this - HBO at Madison Square Garden - but we all realize that there's still a long way to go and our ultimate goal is to be world champion."



Rodriguez' manager, Larry Army, has constructed Team Rodriquez, switching to head trainer Ronnie Shields a year ago, and recently adding nutritionist Victor Conte. Army chuckled to himself on a conference call last month when he heard that a strength-and-conditioning coach was brought in for the first time to work with George.



"My job as Edwin's manager is to assemble a team of the best in the business," Army explained. "We have the No. 3 super middleweight in the world working with a future Hall of Fame trainer, Ronnie Shields, and now Conte who has worked with so many world record holders and all-stars. From the day I signed Edwin, we've treated him like a world champion. We didn't wait until now to invest in our world-class athlete. He's always had a strength-and-conditioning coach and nutritionist. We have all prepared the last four years for this fight. We've upgraded the team over time and Saturday night we expect the last four years to pay dividends."



Army decided last year to send Edwin away from his Worcester home and New England training base to Houston and Shields, who agrees with Rodriguez that this camp was tremendously beneficial for his fighter's mental and physical preparation for George.



"We had an all-around great camp," Ronnie confirmed. "This was our third camp together and we worked a lot on his defense. He's gotten it down and Edwin's ready to go. He's confident knowing that he's in great shape and we have a great game plan developed over the past eight weeks. Maybe for the first time he's been able to focus on just one thing. I sit and talk to him a lot about the high expectations I have for him and that he should have the same for me. We've really meshed well together this camp. Edwin's very comfortable and confident. I think we'll really see Victor Conte's work in the fight."



Conte is the last piece to the Team Rodriguez puzzle. "Science has been brought into the mix at the elite level of sports," Army remarked, "but boxing is still far behind in that respect. Victor is the best in terms of bringing scientific advances into boxing. We've seen what he's done with (Nonito) Donaire and (Andre) Berto. What Victor has done with Edwin is making a big difference in terms of his energy, mental focus and recovery. Victor has developed a program for Edwin to use at various stages of training, including different legal supplements, protein drinks, vitamins, minerals and, of course, proper diet and rest"



Army was referred to Conte by Berto's trainer, Tony Morgan. "We drew Edwin's blood to collect data in order to determine what may be depleted," Conte broke down the evaluation procedure. "We addressed any imbalances or deficiencies with nutritional supplements. We developed a comprehensive profile looking at his immunity system and oxygen intake. The goal is for Edwin to achieve optimum balance. This isn't about mega-dosing, only what he needs. He has to increase training intensity but also rest properly for recovery, repair and growth. There's also the final cutting product for the weigh in and prime hydration leading up to the fight. The exact approach is for the individual, not the same for all."



Conte's methods had a profound effect on Rodriguez during training camp with even more positives expected this week. "I felt a big difference during training camp," Rodriguez concluded. "It's a great feeling knowing that it isn't all about training. I'm less stressed than normal because of the proper rest, vitamins and minerals, diet and information provided by Victor. I am more of a complete fighter."

Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through Ticketmaster, at ticketmaster.com, or by calling (866) 858-0008. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, or visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.



Go online to www.EdwinRodriguezBoxing.com for more information about Edwin or his Mar. 17 fight vs. George.