Francisco Rodriguez is cared for after being knocked down during a match with Teon Kennedy. (Photo by Mike Baluk)
By Oscar Avila and José Luis Sánchez Pando (HOY)
The Chicago boxing community on Monday was mourning the death of Francisco "Paco" Rodriguez, who died Sunday night from injuries during a title bout in Philadelphia over the weekend.
In the days before the fight, a giddy Rodriguez and his family had lived a dream by posing by the "Rocky" statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
"More than money, more than anything, he wanted to be a world champion," said George Hernandez, who had worked with Rodriguez since childhood as a boxing trainer with the Chicago Park District. "I am proud that, in his last fight, he performed like the warrior that he is."
From a family of accomplished boxers, Rodriguez had already won local acclaim, earning a national Golden Gloves championship at age 17, five local titles and a spot in the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials.
Rodriguez, 25, had a devoted following in Chicago's Mexican community. He billed himself as "El Nino Azteca," or Kid Aztec, and his entourage often came into the ring in sombreros to the drumbeats of banda music.
Friday night, Rodriguez had lost to Teon Kennedy in a brutal battle for the USBA super bantamweight title. The bout was Rodriguez's first for a championship and his first outside Chicago.
Rodriguez was nearly knocked out in the first round but came back to send Kennedy reeling. A late barrage by Kennedy in the 10th roundcaused the referee to stop the fight.
"He staggered in the first round and they started (a standing 8-count). But when he reached the corner, he answered that everything was alright and during all the rounds he answered well," Evaristo Rodriguez Jr., Rodriguez's brother and trainer, told Hoy.
"The boy never touched the mat, he was always conscious," said George Hernandez, who also was in Rodriguez's corner. "But at the end I asked him if he was OK and he said that he felt sleepy. I asked if he felt sick and when he said 'Yes, a little', that's when I started to scream for the doctor."
Hernandez, who assisted Rodriguez's father and brother in the corner, said the fighter initially didn't seem badly hurt. But moments later, the boxer complained that he was "sleepy" and his body went limp.
He was in a coma and not showing brain activity until Sunday, when the doctors decided to remove him from life support.
Rodriguez is survived by his wife Sonia and his 5-month-old daughter Ginette. His body will remain in Philadelphia until his organs are donated.
At the park district's gym in Garfield Park, young fighters recalled Rodriguez as a soft-spoken and patient mentor.
Shaquan Johnson, 10, said the fighter had taught him moves, including how to spin away when being pinned down on the ropes.
"And he let me take a picture with him and his belt," Shaquan said.
A family spokeswoman said Rodriguez was survived by his wife and a 5-month-old daughter. His father, Evaristo, was a professional boxer in Mexico and the U.S. while his brother, Evaristo Jr., was also a national Golden Gloves champion. Funeral arrangements were pending.
"It's a terrible tragedy that took place," said Ted Gimza, a board member with the Chicago Golden Gloves who knew Rodriguez since his teenage years. "As a person, on a scale of 10, he was a 9.999. He was one of the better examples for boxers everywhere."
Meanwhile, some in the boxing world questioned whether injuries like those Rodriguez suffered are inevitable.
"We boxers know that something like this can happen, but we never think that it could happen to us," said David Diaz, a former USBA welterweight Champion. "Paco's future was a brilliant one. It is something that hurts because I have known him since he was a baby and I was raised in boxing with his older brothers."
"Those of us in boxing try to take care of ourselves, but we really take a chance every time we get up on the ring. Paco was very professional he took care of himself, and his father and brothers, who were also boxers, took care of him and advised him very well. We didn't expect this, and one doesn't know when your day is going to come. Unfortunately, this is a brutal sport but we were raised in this and we know the sacrifices that we need to make to try to make something good for our family," he added.
"I feel very sad," said Freddy Cuevas, a boxer who had known Rodriguez for about 20 years."He was a brat running around the gym. ... I remember him as a child, and that's why they called him 'Niño Azteka,' because he had the face of a child, but he was brave as a warrior."
"He had a future ahead of him and he had a lot of potential of being a world champion. I didn't watch Friday's fight but I can imagine that he died because he received too many blows or maybe he battled with his weight," Cuevas said.
Miguel "Macho" Hernandez, a Chicago boxer, was affected by the news and couldn't reconcile it.
"I still can't believe it. He was a really good person that loved to box and had a good future. My son also wants to box and these things make me think a lot, but this is a sport and you never know what's going to happen. It hurts a lot, especially to the family, because Christmas is coming," Hernandez said.
An account has just been established in Rodriguez's name to assist the family with their medical and funeral expenses. More information is available at http://franciscorodriguezfund.wordpress.com/.
Photo: Francisco Rodriguez kneels in prayer prior to his match on Friday night. (Photo by Mike Baluk)
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We can never have sufficient amount of words to be said, or tears to be cried or even sadns in our hearts to make a loss feel like something other than a hole in ourlives when a loved one dies, but we can try and find consolation in the belief that he died doing what he loved, and he is now safe and happy in a better place...
Francisco wasn't a punk kid. He wasn't a thug. He wasn't a candidate for a Darwin award. He was a smart, skilled athlete from a wonderful family who adored his wife, and he worked a regular job in addition to boxing. A few years ago, he told me that he viewed boxing as an opportunity to make a name for himself over the course of a few years and then to parlay his reputation--which was impeccable--and his earnings into a business so that he could provide a nice future for his family. That it wasn't worth the risk is obvious in hindsight, but that doesn't take away from the man's many excellent qualities.
Francisco was funny and loyal and generous and sunny-natured and the world was a better place with him in it. The same cannot be said for bitter jerks who didn't have the pleasure of knowing Francisco and have nothing better to do than to post ignorant anonymous comments online for his loved ones to read in our grief.
Boxing is was and will always be legalized barbarism. Ban it. RIP.
Poor man! My condolences to his family.
Boxing is a crude and barbaric sport and should be banned. What a waste of a fine young man.
A Darwin award for sure, unless his daughter takes up boxing. Stupid is as stupid does. This is what happens when you "concentrate" your efforts on your fists instead of developing your intellect.
While I can not even fathom boxing, I admire anyone who follows their dream. Rest in Peace. And blessings on you and your family for donating your organs so that others may live.
Rest in heavenly peace brother.
Sincerely,
The Hammond Boxing Club.
Being beaten is deadly. Physical trauma is deadly. Getting hit in the face is not always deadly, but it can be deadly.
Eventually, humankind will evolve past the point where we find amusement in watching one of our kind beating another of our kind with clenched fists.
We as fighters assume the risks involved every time we step into the ring in this sport that we love. It is undoubtedly a tragedy but it’s the path that we chose to follow. It’s the risks associated with it. Only the ones that have gone thru the sacrifices that we endure during training and during the fight can understand. This is more than a sport for a lot of us, it’s a lifestyle. This sport can give everything and can also take it away. My condolences go to the family.
Just a punk k1d
why would anyone want to knock themselves silly?
well did you know that Tai Kickboxing there is a death every year
Wouldn't the other participant in the bout be charged with homicide/murder if it wasn't for the institution behind organized boxing? Others have gone on about the "sport" - what if both participants engage in a "sporting" bout on the street without the institutionalized support...what would be said? Seems like we read about that sort of thing everyday, without the "warrior" or other platitudes. The people are the same, only the societal permissions are different. Perhaps it is a good moment to stop and ask "Why?"
Sounds like he had a sub dermal Hemotoma (sp).
And no he wasn't beaten to death. He got hit in a way that his brain began to hemorrhage. Hence the sleepiness etc...however it doesn't take much to cause that type of trauma injury to the brain.
Feel for his family.
Any other "sport" with the death rate of boxing would be banned in an instant.
What a tragic waste of a good young man.
God bless his family. May he rest in peace.
So, basically he was beaten to death. That is what the brutal sport is, although luckily it doesn't usually end like this.