Edwin Rodriguez RTD1 Derrick Findley

This flew under the radar, but really is an inescapably laudable result.

Findley was coming off an upset of Lamar Russ, aired on tape-delay on SNY a few days later, in which he suffered a bad hematoma (think Holyfield vs. Rahman , except worse) early on but still managed to spank the prospect and score a few knockdowns. I recorded it on DVR and finally got around to watching it last night, and the scorecards (77-72 76-73 and 75-74 unanimous to Findley) were even a bit too generous to Russ considering he was down twice and docked a point for clinching. Clear away the knockdowns and deductions and the judges would've delivered a three-way split verdict of a draw. Findley beat him up, though - despite soaking up plenty of leather in return.

Russ had, last December, replaced Willie Nelson on short noice (something Findley has done throughout his career) and given a very good account of himself against Matthew Macklin in a very competitive loss that showed the young DiBella fighter had promise.


Rodriguez had fought just nine weeks earlier, on the Golovkin vs. Rubio undercard, pitching a shutout over Azea Augustama. (who lost by MD to Denis Grachev back in 2011, and rebounded from the Rodriguez loss with a win over Dominican padded-record KO artist Andy Perez last month, getting rid of Perez in the same amount of time Fedor Chudinov took when taking his zero...Augustama was a decent amateur, too, beating J'Leon Love, and representing Haiti in the Olympics...)

He apparently dropped Findley twice, making him quit after just three minutes of action. The only person to have ever stopped Findley before was a young Andre Dirrell, who also made him retire on his stool - except that was after six rounds of slapping him silly. Not a single round.



La Bomba is such an enigma, looking pedestrian against Rosinsky, Maderna and Ward but on the other hand beastly against Escalera and Grachev (another victim shockingly dispatched in a single round - much like Findley, not someone you expect to see that done to...) and very good against George.


I hope this pops up on YT.


ESPN really dropped the ball not including this (even on delay, between live fights??! It was three minutes!!!) on their special edition of Thursday Night Fights last week.

 

Yep. :twisted:

I just can't get over how crazy some of the stuff D-Rod has done is, compared with how average he looks at his worst.

Who gets rid of guys like Findley and Grachev in a round flat, yet struggles with Rosinsky?

 

Except neither applies to Escalera or George. Those were more balanced performances in which he was more a boxer-puncher and doled out prolonged, measured beatings.

 

True but everything about him just seems to be mutable.

His power, his boxing skill - all Protean in the extreme.


...and yeah, Findley was smaller, but has the guy ever not been a midget next to his opponent, any time in his pro career? He debuted at MW and has never come in below its limit and was already experimenting with SMW as early as eleven months in. That shortness hasn't stopped him from knocking out Andrzej Fonfara (2.5" taller than Rodriguez) or Ronald Hearns (3" taller) or giving lots of middles and super middles a rough night, including the 6'2" Russ.