Adílson "Maguila" Rodrigues Thread

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023.


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  1. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    This may shock you...... but "Maguila", as he is known, is the most famous and "folk" boxer ever in Brazil. No, it´s not Eder Jofre or Popó Freitas, or....Blanka.... okay it´s over.... but he is the name everybody knows regarding Boxing around here...

    The story goes like this, a tv channel wanted to grow Boxing... and they started to broadcast Maguila fights live on mainstream TV on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons...
    And Maguila was a very funny guy because of his interviews.... he always made people laugh, I guess he was like Frank Bruno in UK, a extremely naive but charismatic guy.
    https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_NQ_NP_633180-MLB31933059874_082019-O.webp

    "I will make a lot of money..... people love knockouts" He said in one of his first interviews...

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    He beggined his career being trained by Eder Jofre´s uncle, Ralph Zumbano....

    Walter Daniel Falconi, the skilled argentinian, was Maguila´s biggest rival... he beat Maguila in the first fight, but Maguila stopped him in the rematch...

    (no one posted the first fight on youtube)

    Rematch, one of the most viewed fights in history of brazilian television...
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    The other rival he had was a dutch boxer, who was a karate fighter too..... yeah, odd..... he koed Maguila vicously in the first bout, but Maguila got a highlight heel type of KO in the rematch...

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    I am the first to tell you that Maguila got some gifts against Bonecrusher Smith and (forgot the name of the english guy, broadcaster today, cruiserweight)

    Anyway, I talked way too much already....

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLRVnOh7kc


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VgnbJuJ288

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFurNerVvsA&t


    I imagine all you guys watched his fights with Holyfield and Foreman which pretty much stopped his career on the international scene.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLoOpvZeYbw
     
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    #1
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  2. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Great post @Vic-JofreBRASIL — there’s a lot of ‘you had to be there’ in boxing, especially the further you go back. Guys could be great local attractions in their countries or their towns (like Pete Ranzany or Tony Lopez in Sacramento, or a generation of Philly middleweights, or many Latin fighters in their homes … but not really get exposed to the national or world audience unless they made it all the way to the top.

    Or if they did, like Adilson, they fell short at the contender level and were only known briefly to many of us as ‘opponents’ who better-known fighters passed along the way.

    It’s cool to get a peak behind this curtain to realize this guy was closer to national hero/top sportsman in Brazil. I’m sure there was hope from his countrymen that he would go all the way to the top and they bought in to his journey.

    He beat his share of decent fighters — James Tillis, Mike White, Bonecrusher, etc. — and maybe had a little home judging help along the way, but that’s a tale as old as time. Those are the same names others who did make it beat on their way up.

    Thanks for taking the time to make this thread and share those videos.
     
    Saintpat, Nov 17, 2023
    Saintpat, Nov 17, 2023
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  3. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    It was like a Sunday attraction, his fights, I didn't live that because I was born when he was at his peak, but even then you kinda know it, and the older people I know all enjoyed their time when he was around on TV.

    The Frank Bruno thread made me realize that Maguila was kinda like our Frank Bruno.... and he is also badly mentally ill today.

    Brazilians have this bad habit of mocking their own people though (I just said that the other day about Rubens Barrichelo), so I wouldn´t call him a country´s hero, because few see him that way, so that is where the comparison with Frank Bruno may be different.
    His chin was so bad though.... and he had a very padded record, no doubt about it. His way to the top (he was ranked number 2 by The Ring in 1988) was kinda controversial with some wins being clear gifts...

    He lives in a mental institute today with serious dementia. The last time he apparead on the news was 10 years ago, due to him beating up a security guard that called him a "illiterate goof", and he punched the guy lol. "I didn't beat him, I just managed the distance with two little jabs" his words to the cops lol , that was so him lol.
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
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  4. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    That’s too bad that he’s not in good health. First time I saw him was against Evander in showtime back in 1989. My friends and I had never heard of him but found him interesting
     
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
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  5. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    As a guy who devoured all the boxing magazines during that period (starting when I bought my first copy of The Ring in summer of 1979, I think it was), the first thing I’d do is go to the results page and they had all the top results from around the world listed by weight class (Ring also had reports from everywhere, including club shows, in small type). Because he fought so frequently, Rodrigues would be in that list regularly and there were enough ‘names’ that would be recognizable that I remember at least being curious — same with the South African junior middle Charlie Weir and a rising Marlon Starling at welter.

    So I was kind of excited to see him when he showed up in a bigger fight vs. Evander and then Big George. I’m sure he was tough but as they always say, there are levels.
     
    Saintpat, Nov 17, 2023
    Saintpat, Nov 17, 2023
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  6. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    That, and the Foreman fight were like the reality shock for everyone.... He almost faced Tyson too, Tyson would´ve killed him....
     
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
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  7. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    You probably saw the Rodrigues vs Falconi fights listed there then.

    Here's a little clip (bad one) with the footage of the first Maguila vs Falconi fight. (it is weird to me call him Rodrigues, nobody calls him that, it is always Maguila)

    Nice timed right hand...
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    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
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  8. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    I used to like reading those fight results too. And columns like “ come out writing “
     
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
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  9. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    He wasn’t a bad fighter but I agree that the WBC ranking him #2 going into the Holyfield fight was unjustified. In reality he was probably on a similar level to what some of the euro guys like Evangelista, Zanon and Lucien Rodriguez were in the early eighties
     
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
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  10. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    It was all politics. And Holyfield had probably his most brutal knockout, right ? Can't remember Evander dropping someone cold like that.
     
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
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  11. Vic-JofreBRASIL

    Vic-JofreBRASIL Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Btw, he fought Evangelista too. Full footage.

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    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
    Vic-JofreBRASIL, Nov 17, 2023
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  12. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    No. And in fact that was probably the only one-punch KO I’ve ever seen him deliver at heavy unless there was one I missed at some point
     
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
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  13. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    Yeah I’ve seen it listed on his record
     
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    mr. magoo, Nov 17, 2023
    #13
  14. Greg Price99

    Greg Price99 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Johnny Nelson
     
    Greg Price99, Nov 18, 2023
    Greg Price99, Nov 18, 2023
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  15. salsanchezfan

    salsanchezfan Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Sorry to hear of his condition, and also that he appears to be regarded so lowly to the point of being made fun of, that's awful. I'm not one to bang the drum of, "we need to honor these great warriors, who put themselves on the line for us fans"...........well, no, they don't. They do it for the money and their own ego. It's not in our service that they lace 'em up, so settle down about that, but he should at least be respected for what he did, and remembered fondly.
     
    salsanchezfan, Nov 18, 2023
    salsanchezfan, Nov 18, 2023
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