EDWIN RODRIQUEZ IMPROVES TO 13-0 WITH VICTORY OVER NORMAN

Posted on | November 21, 2009 | No Comments

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Worcester’s unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez, after watching his opponent escape from trouble in the three previous rounds, finally stopped seasoned super middleweight Brian Norman with a relentless flurry of power punches at 1:16 of the fifth round to score his lucky 13th victory, and ninth by knockout, before a sellout crowd of 2,000 last night at the Main Street Armory.

Norman (17-10, 5 knockouts) was knocked down in the second round by a brutal combination that Rodriguez capped with a savage left hook to the head. In the third round, Rodriguez (13-0, 9) unleashed a long combination that had Norman in trouble on the ropes before he was saved by the bell.

Rodriguez’s assault continued in the fourth round when he hurt Norman with a big right hand, but the bell again intervened on Norman’s behalf.

In the fifth, however, there was no being saved. Rodriguez cut loose with a damaging fusillade of blows — what manager Larry Army called “a good 35 to 40 seconds of nonstop power punches” — before the referee finally stepped in.

In the end, it was Rodriguez’s punishing body attack that seemed to cut the well-sculpted Norman down to size, according to Army and trainer Peter Manfredo Sr.

“I’m pleased,” said Rodriguez, who was ill enough last week that his handlers considered postponing the bout as recently as Saturday. “I don’t think it was my best performance, but I was able to get the W, get five rounds in, and get the knockout, so I can’t complain about my performance. … What else can I ask for?”

Rodriguez said he didn’t feel great before the scheduled eight-round main event.

“I just felt like I wasn’t gonna be at my best,” he said, “but I still felt I’d be good enough to beat this guy.”

Manfredo, who usually finds something to be critical about after Rodriguez fights, was pretty satisfied was last night’s performance.

“It was a great job,” he said. “Edwin boxed well, threw a beautiful combination. I yelled at him between the fourth and fifth rounds, I told him, ‘This kid’s ready to go, it’s time to put him away.’ He was hitting the kid with some bombs, some monster shots. He looked very good.

“I’m pleased with everything I saw. He was attacking the body, that’s what broke this guy. This was a big, physically strong guy, real tough. He was a quality opponent. He (Edwin) is not fighting easy guys.”