Ricardo Rodriguez Feeling At Home On the Road In Tampa
By Jake Donovan
Ricardo Rodriguez will be back home in Los Angeles in time for his 26th birthday this coming Sunday. For now, though, there's no place the Mexico-born boxer would rather be than in hostile territory in Tampa.
Friday's showdown with local favorite Daniel Lozano at A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa will mark Rodriguez' third straight fight in the Sunshine State. His previous road trips produced two of his biggest career wins to date, upending a pair of Boricua boxers in Edwin Rodriguez and Jonathan Vidal.
In Lozano he faces a clear house favorite, hailing from nearby Bowling Green. Still, Rodriguez can't help but feel at home on the road.
“I feel very happy to be back in Florida," Rodriguez (11-2, 4KOs) said in touching down on Wednesday. "I had the best training camp ever, and want to personally thank WBC World Champion Leo Santa Cruz (his stable mate who is training for an upcoming showdown with Abner Mares) and former champion Brian Viloria for helping get ready for this fight.
"Lozano is a great fighter with punching power and I’m not taking him lightly."
Their bout headlines live on Telemundo in the United States, Rodriguez' fourth consecutive network appearance.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
