Rising star on Resnick card
Bob Matthews – Staff writer
Bob Matthews – November 17, 2009 - 4:00am
Local boxing fans can check out a rising star in the main event on Ron Resnick’s boxing card Thursday night at the Main Street Armory.
Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez, 24, headlines the show. He’s 12-0 as a pro and is being touted by some boxing insiders as a future middleweight champion.
Rodriguez’s dream of boxing in the 2008 Olympics was derailed when his twins, Edwin Jr. and Serena Lynn, were born at 23 weeks and have battled illnesses since. Edwin Jr. has cerebral palsy and Serena was born with a paralyzed vocal cord and has had several corrective surgeries. He turned pro to support his family in January 2008.
The 2006 Golden Gloves middleweight national champion took five months off after elbow surgery earlier this year but is 2-0 since, including a knockout over Angel David Gonzalez in Rochester Aug. 13.
Rodriguez will fight Brian “The Assassin” Norman, who has missed his target a few times (17-9 career record) but is no pushover. His credits include an upset win over Tracy Sneed (23-1) and going the distance against current WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (Dec. 7, 2007, in Montreal in a NABA super middleweight title fight).
Ray “Merciless” Mercer is out as Hasim Rahman’s opponent on the Dec. 3 boxing card at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The 48-year-old former heavyweight champion didn’t get medical clearance to fight. Rahman’s new opponent is expected to be announced this week. … Eight years ago tonight (2001), Lennox Lewis knocked out Rahman in the fourth round to regain his WBC and IBF heavyweight titles. Rahman’s championship reign of 209 days was the shortest in heavyweight history.
If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, it never is too early to think about next season. The good news is that the Bills could mop up at home in 2010. The bad news is that the road schedule looks much tougher.
Assuming the Bills finish last in the AFC East this season, next year’s non-division opponents would be:
HOME — Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Tennessee: current combined record 15-29.
AWAY — Baltimore, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Minnesota, Kansas City or Oakland: combined record entering Monday night: 26-18.
Red Wings 2009 right fielder David Winfree is a six-year, minor-league free agent, but the Minnesota Twins hope to re-sign him. He hit .273 with 14 HRs and 61 RBI in Rochester last season. He’s only 24 and figures to have a strong 2010 season in Triple-A, wherever he plays. … It isn’t difficult to project free agent Matt Holliday in pinstripes next season, playing left field and batting fifth in the New York Yankees lineup, behind No. 3 Alex Rodriguez and No. 4 Mark Teixeira.
For the first time this college football season, Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow isn’t among top three front-runners on my 2009 Heisman Trophy list: 1. Alabama RB Mark Ingram; 2. Texas QB Colt McCoy; 3. Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. … Jimmie Johnson is on the verge of earning a record fourth straight championship in NASCAR’s premier series. It will be interesting to see how he fares in voting for Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He probably won’t get the support he deserves. … Retiring Monroe Community College athletic director Murph Shapiro must have been a great basketball player at Franklin to earn a full ride to Miami at 5-foot-7.
If rookie safety Jairus Byrd gets a few more interceptions (he leads the NFL with 8), he’d be the Buffalo Bills player most likely to be selected to this season’s Pro Bowl. … Did New England coach Bill Belichick boost Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning’s Most Valuable Player stock by going for it Sunday on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 with 2:08 to play because he was so sure that Manning would march the Colts to a game-winning TD from 70 yards out?
Rochester Knighthawks star John Grant Jr. is one of the three attackmen on Inside Lacrosse’s All-Decade Team. All college and pro indoor and outdoor players were considered. The two others are Mikey Powell and Ryan Boyle. The three Second Team attackmen are Gary Gait, Ryan Powell and Matt Danowski. … Solid defenseman Scott Ditzell is expected to return to the Knighthawks this season after taking a season off.
Hialeah Park in Florida will reopen Nov.28 for a 40-day quarter horse race meeting. Hialeah’s last thoroughbred racing meet was in 2001. Hialeah ownership hopes to have a casino with slot machines soon. Florida’s most recent quarter horse meet was in 1991 at the Pompano Park harness track in Pompano Beach.
