Rafael Rodriguez is a retired light middleweight

Light middleweight

Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....

 professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 from Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

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Personal life

Rafael Rodriguez is a member of Minnesota's illustrious Rodriguez family of boxers: Bobby

Bobby Rodriguez

-Personal life:Bobby Rodriguez is a member of Minnesota's illustrious Rodriguez family of boxers: Rafael, Kenny, Rudy, all of whom fought professionals; brother John, who fought only as an amateur, and Cory, son of John, who is an active professional boxer at this writing...

, Kenny, Rudy, all of whom fought as professionals; brother John, who fought only as an amateur, and Corey

Corey Rodriguez

Corey Rodriguez is a professional welterweight, light middleweight boxer from Saint Anthony, Minnesota.-Amateur career:Rodriguez had a long and successful amateur career, compiling a total record of 70-16...

, son of John, who is an active professional boxer at this writing.
Rafael is divorced from Barbara Seeker, they have 3 grown children. Elizabeth- 5 grandchildren(Kallie,Cameron,Taylor,Ricky,and Riley), Shannon- 4 grandchildren ( Kara, Shon, Justin, and Joshua) Rafael the 2nd- (Rafael the 3rd) and 1 great grandson Payton.

Professional career

Rodriguez made his professional debut with a five-round points win against Casey Puskar on December 3, 1970. He remained undefeated through four professional fights, losing for the first time to 0-9 Billy Goodwin in a fourth-round knockout on March 8, 1972. Following this unexpected loss Rodriguez remained unbeaten for another three years, winning ten fights and suffering the indignity of one draw

Draw

Draw, draws or drawn may refer to:* The act of drawing, or making an image with a writing utensil* A part of many card games* A part of a lottery* Wire drawing...

. By March 1975 Rodriguez was sporting a record of 14-1-1. His career after this point is difficult to characterize; he remained competitive, mixing wins and losses to the end of his career, but compiling a distinctly mediocre record of 14-20-1 before retiring in 1983 following a loss to Gary Holmgren

Gary Holmgren

Gary Holmgren, alias The Hammer, is a retired light middleweight professional boxer from Hastings, Minnesota.-Professional career:Holmgren made his professional debut on May 15, 1974 with a first-round knockout win against Milton Buckley in St Paul, Minnesota...

 in a fight for the Minnesota junior middleweight title. After starting his career in such compelling fashion, Rodriguez finally retired with a record of 28-20-2 with 10 wins coming by knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

. However, it must be remembered that many of Rodriguez's later fights were against notably successful boxers, some of whom he surprised by beating them.

When it was all over, Rodriguez had faced a number of notable boxers, including Mike Morgan

Mike Morgan (boxer)

Mike Morgan is a retired professional middleweight boxer from Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Professional career:Morgan made his professional boxing debut on October 10 1970 with a four-round points win against 6-2 Chuck Hernandez. Morgan remained unbeaten through five matches, losing for the first time...

, Denny Moyer

Denny Moyer

Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.-Early life:...

, Hedgemon Lewis

Hedgemon Lewis

Hedgemon Lewis is a former American professional boxer and trainer. Lewis began boxing at the age of 12, out of the Northern Recreation Center in Detroit. As a young, aspiring fighter he boxed as part of the same camp as renowned coach Emmanuel Steward...

, Chucho Garcia, Angel Robinson Garcia, Harold Weston

Harold Weston

Harold Weston was an influential American modernist painter whose work included impressionism, realism and abstraction, as well as a highly regarded political activist.-Early life:...

, Clyde Gray, Bruce Curry

Bruce Curry

Bruce Curry , is a former professional boxer. He was the WBC Super Lightweight Champion from 1983 to 1984.-Amateur career:...

, Billy Backus

Billy Backus

Billy Backus, born March 5, 1943 in Canastota, New York, is a former world boxing champion. In the summer of 2006 Backus retired from his correctional facility job and moved to South Carolina.- Early boxing career :...

, Pat O'Connor, Pete Ranzany

Pete Ranzany

Pete Ranzany was an amateur boxer who represented the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1973. He defeated future welterweight champion Carlos Palomino at the 1972 Olympic Trials, but lost to eventual gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales in the finals.A conventional boxer with a solid jab and vicious left hook he...

, Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...

, Dave Green

Dave Boy Green

Dave "Boy" Green is a former British welterweight boxing champion and businessman. Born in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, a small fenland town, he boxed as the "Fen Tiger".-Early years:...

, Jerry Cheatham, Tony Chiaverini, Rocky Mattioli

Rocky Mattioli

Rocky Mattioli an Italian-Australian former boxer at junior middleweight, and former world champion.- Career :...

, Bruce Finch, Johnny Turner, Milton McCrory

Milton McCrory

Milton McCrory was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.- Amateur :Milton had a reported amateur record of 105-15.He lost in the 1979 National AAU finals to Lemuel Steeples and in the Olympic Trials to Johnny Bumphus.- Pro career :Known as "Ice Man", McCrory turned pro in 1980 an won...

, and Gary Holmgren

Gary Holmgren

Gary Holmgren, alias The Hammer, is a retired light middleweight professional boxer from Hastings, Minnesota.-Professional career:Holmgren made his professional debut on May 15, 1974 with a first-round knockout win against Milton Buckley in St Paul, Minnesota...

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In 2010 it was announced that Rodriguez would be a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame

Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame is a commemorative organization with plans to create a museum. It celebrates the history of boxing in the state of Minnesota by honoring individuals whose achievements within the sport are noteworthy.-History:...

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