Edwin Rodriguez Continues His Super Middleweight Rise

by Cliff Rold

Outside a few interesting exchanges in the early going, 25-year old Super Middleweight Edwin Rodriguez (17-0, 12 KO) of Worcester, Massachusetts, dominated the action at the Scheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota en route to a ninth round stoppage of 27-year old James McGirt Jr. (22-2-1, 11 KO) of Cero Beach, Florida, on Friday night.  McGirt, the son of former Jr. Welterweight and Welterweight champion Buddy McGirt, could never figure out how to stay off the ropes against the aggressive Rodriguez who scored his fifth straight win inside the distance.

Rodriguez weighed in for the bout at just a half pound over the 168 lb. division limit, McGirt just under at 167 ¼.

Both men loaded up with big shots in the first but it was Rodriguez, pounding to the body and around the high guard of McGirt, doing the most damage in round one.  By the start of the second, it looked like Rodriguez might run over his man as McGirt was bulled to the ropes with power shots but the second-generation battler kept his calm.  Finding spots to counter, McGirt snapped Rodriguez’s head back with a long left from his southpaw stance in the final minute of round two.

McGirt had a strong surge in the second half of round three, his accurate, straight punches wearing on the heavy handed but slow Rodriguez.  The favored man bounced back in the fourth and fifth by sticking with the body work that had been most consistent for him throughout the first half of the fight.

The tenor of the action changed little in the second half, the question emerging as to whether referee Mark Nelson was going to let the bout reach its conclusion.  Rodriguez was doing his best to make the question mute, searching for the knockout as McGirt increasingly took punishment if gamely finding responsive flurries to stay alive.  Following the eighth, McGirt’s trainer and father told him he’d give him one more round before calling it a night and was forced to repeat it as his son looked away.

At the bell for the ninth, McGirt quickly went to the ropes and covered up, pecking and poking occasionally while Rodriguez fired thudding blows.  McGirt was never in trouble from a single shot but the leather was all flying one way and Nelson made the wise choice to halt the bout as Rodriguez finished one last salvo along the ropes at 1:57 of round nine.

The televised opener focused on a talent perhaps even more promising than those leading the marquee.  24-year old Marcus Johnson (20-0, 15 KO) of Houston, Texas, kept his undefeated record intact with an easy win over tough but outmatched 30-year old Kevin Engel (18-4, 15 KO) of St. Louis, Missouri.  The bout was contested in the Light Heavyweight division

Johnson, 172, found little trouble in setting the tempo and building a lead in the first two rounds.  With control of the action well in hand, Johnson blasted Engel, 171 ¼, with a right hand, leaving his foe sitting on the canvas along the ropes.  Engel beat the count only to continue to be hammered, the referee halting the action to rule a standing knockdown and issuing a mandatory eight.  Engel claimed he could continue and Johnson obliged his courage with leather.  Engel did not quit, firing to the body hard by round’s end while Johnson breathed heavily through his mouth.  The bell sounded, Engel still on his feet.

That moral victory would be the victory allowed, referee Mark Nelson following Engel to the corner and halting the bout.  It was Johnson’s first knockout win since the summer of 2009, both of his last two contests lasting the distance.  Johnson will hope to improve on his position as the #7 WBC and #15 WBA Super Middleweight contender.

Also televised, between the Johnson win and the main event, was a novelty contest between a pair of second-generation battlers at Super Middleweight.  1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Howard Davis never got it on in the pros with Hall of Fame Jr. Welterweight terror Aaron Pryor.  On Friday, Pryor could smile as his boy, 32-year old Aaron Jr. (15-2, 11 KO), 167 ¼, of Cincinnati, Ohio, took an eight round unanimous decision over 29-year old Dyah Davis (18-2, 9 KO), 168 ½, of Coconut Creek, Florida.  The final scores were 79-73 twice and 78-74.

The card was televised in the U.S. on premium cable outlet Showtime as part of its “ShoBox” series, promoted by DiBella Entertainment.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com