Battle of the southpaws: Jose Angel Rodriguez faces Russell Jordan for IBF North American middleweight title
Jose Angel “Silver Boy” Rodriguez is not the kind of boxer who would turn down an opportunity for a good fight. That’s why he’ll be in action this Friday night at the Rollins Centre in Dover, Delaware. Rodriguez (15-2-1, 2 KO) will face a formidable opponent in southpaw Russell “Spiderman” Jordan (15-7, 10 KO) for the International Boxing Federation North American middleweight belt.
Rodriguez, who is currently ranked 34th overall in the United States light middleweight division standings, is coming off of a tough loss to Lajuan Simon (23-2-1, 12 KO). Simon, who is the current middleweight contender, is ranked at number five in the U.S middleweight standings. He was previously active on 17 October 2009, where he won against Elvin Ayala (20-5-1, 9 KO) in 12 rounds at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 5ft 11in southpaw feels very confident about Friday’s matchup, and is aware that a win over Jordan would work wonders for his boxing career, and possibly land him a title shot for a more significant belt.
“I am in great shape,” Rodriguez said. “I think this a historical bout for me and will cement my family legacy. I must get by Jordan to keep me on my path toward a possible world title shot.”
Defeating the 6ft 2in Jordan, who is one of the division’s tallest fighters, will prove to be a big challenge for Rodriguez, but he feels that his previous experiences in the ring will be instrumental in preparing him for the fight.
“I learned a lot from my bout with Simon, which will help in this bout,” Rodriguez said. “My boxing ability has increased exponentially. I have been working with taller and heavier fighters in my sparring, so I will be ready for anything he will bring to the table. Hopefully a win against Jordan will get me a rematch with Simon, since I will have the North American belt.”
Rodriguez added that winning Friday’s match “should put me in the rankings. Within a year, I plan to do my best to unify the world title bouts, provided the champs will fight me.”
The New York City native ensured that Friday night’s match will feature high levels of action and excitement for boxing fans. “I promise that this will be an exciting fight that you won’t want to miss,” Rodriguez said.
Jordan’s most recent fight was a 10-round loss to undefeated Shawn Porter (16-0, 12 KO) on 19 February at the Wolstein Centre in Cleveland, Ohio. He is presently the No. 36-ranked boxer in the U.S. middleweight division standings. “Spiderman” is often known to trap his opponents like flies in a tangled web of punches. Will Rodriquez be able to overcome Jordan and emerge victorious from his web? Only time will tell.
The light middleweight division of professional boxing is home to some of the sport’s greatest and most dangerous competitors. The top fighter in the division is currently Paul “The Punisher” Williams (39-1, 27 KO).
Williams definitely lives up to his nickname, as he can throw punishing blows in rapid succession. His last fight was a technical decision over Puerto Rican Kermit “The Killer” Cintrón (32-3-1, 28 KO) on 5 August at the Home Depot Centre in Carson, California. The match ended after only four rounds due to injuries sustained by Cintrón.
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