David “Nino” Rodriguez: Baby Steps Against Owen Beck Friday Night
By Geno McGahee
David Rodriguez is 33 years old, stands 6 feet, 4 inches, and weighs in the area of 250 pounds. His impressive record of 34-0, 32 KO’s, with 22 first round knockouts is amazing and will make you ask the question: Why haven’t I heard of this guy? There’s a good reason why you haven’t. His competition has been less than mediocre.
The collective record of his opposition is 380 wins, 303 losses, and 12 draws. His opponents have only won, on average, 55% of their bouts. At 33, you wonder when Rodriguez is going to make his big move, or is he going to remain on the sidelines, facing no hopers and wash ups?
The biggest name on his record was Robert Davis, a fight he won by stoppage in 3 rounds in 2009. Davis was a fringe contender at one point, but when he faced Rodriguez, he had lost 4 of his last 6 bouts going in, and was a mere shell of his former self. It was a safe fight for “Nino.”
This Friday, we see him step into the ring against former title challenger, Owen “What the Heck?” Beck, 29-7, 20 KO’s. Beck, at one time, was a contender, undefeated in his first 24 fights, but he has gone 5-7 since. He has lost four straight bouts, all by knockout and is going into this fight as the opponent. The only hope is that he can extend Rodriguez and perhaps, expose him. Beck usually hangs in there a while before finding a soft spot on the canvas, and if he’s in any shape, he may give the undefeated fighter more than he bargained for.
The problem with heavyweight boxing is the managers and promoters looking to make the most money and it sometimes results in a David Rodriguez, an untested fighter with 34 fights. He may just be a tool to make money in Texas, drawing a crowd and turning a decent buck, but if he wants to be taken seriously, he must step up the competition and Beck is not much of a step. Look for an early pummeling of Beck.