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Wendy Rodriguez: Always
Ready, Never Scared
By David A.
Avila -Maxboxing.com
August 20, 2004 |
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Patrolling the flyweight division like a hawk seeking its prey,
Wendy Rodriguez is
anxious for new challenges.
Like most women in boxing she often moves to other weight divisions on
occasion to fight bigger and taller opponents. She’s always searching for
competition.
On Saturday, Rodriguez, a Los Angeles fighter, will be in Marksville,
Louisiana to fight Yahaira Martinez for the NABAW title in a 10-round fight
at the Paragon Resort and Casino. She doesn’t care how good her opponent is
she just wants to fight.
“It’s getting so hard to get fights now,” said Rodriguez (13-2-3), the
current IFBA mini-flyweight champion and NABA light flyweight champion.
“Nobody seems to want to fight.”
The tiny classic boxer burst on the scene in 1999 with two surprising
efforts in Temecula, California. At the time, few had ever seen women
weighing 100 pounds duke it out in the ring. From then on, Rodriguez has
proven to be one of the finest fighters Pound for Pound on the planet.
Now she’s fighting for yet another world title. The more the merrier.
“I hope it brings more recognition,” said Rodriguez, who is trained by
Victor Hernandez at the LA Boxing Club. “I have two world titles but if they
offer me to fight for another I will.”
From Florida to California Rodriguez has been willing to travel to other
cities to fight opponents in their hometown. She doesn’t mind, but now seeks
neutral ground for title fights.
“I’m used to fighting out of state but it’s hard to win,” said Rodriguez,
who only has two losses and three draws. But she feels one loss was not
merited.
Rodriguez is a gym rat who spends every day training or workout on exercise
machines. In fact, she works at the exercise studio when not training.
“I have to be in shape to fight at any time,” she said.
That’s her motto.
With a reputation as one of the more skilled female fighters in the world,
it’s not easy finding opponents. But she has a few in her bullseye.
Germany’s
Regina Halmich
and Canada’s
Vaia Zaganas
are two other miniature giants in female
prizefighting who have built solid reputations as the best in the world for
their weight class.
Halmich recently defeated
Daisy Lang
in a match up of German female champions and won a 10-round decision despite
a height disadvantage. She’s the current junior bantamweight champion and a
former flyweight and junior flyweight title-holder. In her country the
blonde pixie is a high-profile athlete similar to
Laila Ali
or
Mia St. John
here in the states.
The other target is Zaganas, a Canadian native now living in Las Vegas, is a
former National Champion for that country and currently has two world title
belts in the smallest weight division. A battle between the two would be a
battle of the little giants.
“I don’t want to fight in California,” said Zaganas, adding that a neutral
territory would be ideal for a fight between the two champions.
Like Zaganas, Rodriguez prefers not to fight in Nevada.
“I really want to fight Vaia Zaganas,” Rodriguez said. “I want to fight
Regina Halmich too if it’s possible. But it’s hard to get a fight with her.”
For years Rodriquez accepted challenges throughout the Southwest in her
quest to prove her worth. How she got to this point is still a mystery for
her. She never liked boxing in her early youth.
“I hated to watch boxing,” said Rodriguez, who works out at the LA Boxing
Club in downtown Los Angeles. “I never thought I’d be a boxer.”
As a teen-ager Rodriguez’s younger brother became interested in the sport so
being the older sister she accompanied him to the gym where he learned the
basics. Meanwhile she took part in the workout regimens that included boxing
and aerobics.
Her combinations and agility impressed the instructor.
“She told me I should work more on boxing,” said Rodriguez who was a
graduate of Roosevelt High in East Los Angeles. “That’s how I got started.”
Before long Rodriguez was eagerly running to the gym to learn the
intricacies of boxing. At the LA Boxing Club boxers from around the world
gather almost daily to go through the grind. Both men and women pack the
two-story gym looking to become better fighters.
Soon it was apparent Rodriguez had the skills but did she have the desire?
“Once I started learning more about boxing I really liked it,” said
Rodriguez, 24, who lives in South Central Los Angeles. “I go to the gym
every day.”
The junior flyweight title-holder recently fought a rematch with Texan
Anissa Zamarron
and won by decision.
“It wasn’t an easy fight. Both fights were hard, but she fought me different
this time,” Rodriguez said of the fight that took place in Texas.
Now Rodriguez stands poised to win another title.
“I never thought I’d be a boxer. Not in a million years,” she said.
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