Rafael Rodriguez
"The Rifle"
By Jake Wegner

"I was one bad cat, boy…one bad-ass Chicano," recalled a feisty 59 year-old Rafael Rodriguez back in 2005 while dining with this author at Red Lobster, and looking over pictures of his battles with Pat O'Connor and Denny Moyer. And he was, too. But Rodriguez was much more than that. He was a two-fisted Mexican assassin who did not take prisoners, and one who had made his reputation on the tough streets of North Minneapolis long before he had made one in the prize ring. "As a kid, I can remember always seeing Rafael by the street curb hustling and fighting. I was scared to death of him. Next thing I know, my dad had me sparring with him in the gym. I found out that not only could he street-fight, but he had crazy boxing skills as well. My dad thought he was perhaps the most talented kid he had ever coached at the time," recalled former boxer, Chuck Daszkiewicz. Let's take a few minutes to learn more about the man they called, "The Rifle," the man who by all historians' accounts was the best Hispanic fighter in state history…Rafael Rodriguez.

Rafael Rodriguez was born on April 21, 1946 in North Minneapolis. One of 13 children, Rafael and his brothers were a close-banded group, sticking together in fending off bullies in the tough north-side neighborhood. "Our neighborhood was so tough," recalled older brother Kenny in 2010, "that we even had girls who beat up boys! I'm not kidding either. That actually happened. We all learned to fight rather quickly. It almost became a necessity, you could say." Kenny's comments are true ones, as North Minneapolis has long been known for its less than peaceful living conditions. With the oldest brother Kenny leading the way by boxing for the Phyllis Wheatley team, the rest of the Rodriguez clan followed suit. In addition to Kenny and Rafael, there was also Rudy, Bobby, and Johnny. All were good fighters, but Rafael quickly began to stand out as the man to beat in the amateur ranks, capturing Upper Midwest Golden Glove titles in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1970 before turning professional later that same year under long-time Minneapolis boxing czar, Papa Joe Daszkiewicz. Daszkiewicz had managed the careers of many Minnesota fighters throughout the years, and knew what he had in the tan-skinned Chicano. "He knew from Day 1 what he had in Rodriguez," recalled Joe's son Chuck, "but that didn't take a genius, because everyone knew that. He was a bona-fide blue-chip prospect that was going to tear up the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions in the pros. He was fast as hell, had a great right cross, and had the instincts of a cat in the ring. He was just so crafty and smart, and an extremely accurate puncher too, and one of the best counter-punchers in the nation…and mean. No one was as purely mean as Rafael. He just had this edge to him…a big chip on his shoulder, and he unleashed that edge every time he stepped into the ring. It was scary just watching him warm up."

After capturing his 4th Upper Midwest title in 1970, Rafael signed with Papa Joe Daszkiewicz and went 4-0 with 3 KO's until he suffered his first loss due to a bad cut. Rodriguez was ahead on all cards until the nasty gash made the ringside doctor call a halt to the action. It was a disappointing mark on his record, but not one people took seriously, as all knew the circumstances of it. From there, he rattled off 4 consecutive victories bringing his record to 8-1 with 4 KO's. Daszkiewicz had agreed to take a fight with Keith Averette down in Chicago. Averette was considered to be a big test for Rafael, as he had an amateur background on par with that of Rodriguez, and was now 3-1 as a professional. He and Rodriguez traded punches for 8 tactful rounds, both using their counter-punching skills to make the other pay in what came to be a highly strategic chess match, ending in a Draw verdict. Following the tough test with Averette, Rodriguez came home to fight another skilled fighter in Johnny Montagne, winning a one-side unanimous decision and making Montagne look like a monkey in the process.

Rodriguez was always known as a fast starter, but not necessarily a guy who took men out with a single punch. Instead, he wore you down with his stinging combinations and snappy array of punches. He broke the mold of traditional Mexican fighters, in that he won with his boxing skills and not brawling. He could mix, and did frequently, but it was done behind a stiff jab and smooth slipping and sliding; as opposed to trademark Hispanic fighters who often come straight ahead, willing to take punishment in order to give it. Rafael was different. He combined the meanness, the chin, and the heart of Mexican fighters, but with the boxing and defensive skills of a Marlon Starling. "He was a great fighter. One who punished his opponents with calculated pressure until they broke or made a mistake. And his defense was air-tight. He was very difficult to hit clean and when you missed, you definitely paid for it. And he was nasty too. He always seemed like he just hated his opponent. He was a badger," recalled retired trainer, Bill Kaehn. Former rival, Gary Holmgren also recalls Rodriguez's demeanor, "One of the main reasons I disliked Rafael so much back then was the fact he was so mean. Specifically, I can remember one time in the gym he was sparring with little Savarino Garcia. In addition to being a much smaller fighter, Savarino was also way less experienced too; in fact, I recall him just being an amateur. Rodriguez didn't take it easy on him at all. He tore into him and busted the poor kid's front teeth out. That moment stayed with me and really shaped how I felt about him. No, you didn't fuck with him," continued Holmgren in a 2008 conversation, "but he enjoyed you knowing that too. He was a fantastically skilled fighter, but that wasn't enough. He wanted you to fear him. He enjoyed that."

This demeanor wasn't just noticed by those closest to Rodriguez. In fact, it rubbed many people the wrong way; particularly the Morgan family. The Morgan's were another Minneapolis fighting family. Glen, Mike, and later Danny. Trained and managed by their father, long-time trainer Jim Morgan, they were another bunch that were skilled with their fists. At a boxing card in 1973, the Rodriguez brothers and the Morgan brothers got into a spat/debate about Rafael and Mike, setting the table for a major showdown for the state Jr. Middleweight title. Mike and Rafael had known and boxed with one another since their amateur days and were very familiar with each other's styles. Rafael was the aggressive fast-starter, with lighting quick hands, and crazy moves; Mike was the consummate boxer with a stiff left jab, tight defense, and did everything by the book. He too was gifted, and was sporting a 14-1-2 record, which included two nice wins over the tough and durable, Frank Jimenez. Of more importance still, was the fact that he was coming off of two consecutive victories, the first of which had earned him the Minnesota Middleweight title-both wins were against Rafael's older brother Rudy, setting in motion both the cogs and the fuel for the fire that had spurred the arguments between the Rodriguez brothers and the Morgans. Mike Morgan, the state Middleweight champion, was a bigger man than Rafael who had campaigning at Welterweight, but the high-strung Morgan was looking to hold two state titles and agreed to meet Rafael at a catch-weight for the vacant state Jr. Middleweight title. It would be barn-burner.

Rodriguez came into the fight at a career high of 151 ½, while Morgan cut weight to make 152 ½. The local rivalry of young, Mill City talent was about to take place. It would not last long. Just before the bell rang to start the match, Rodriguez could be seen staring hatefully at his mustached rival, mumbling to himself and smacking his gloves together. When the bell rang, Rodriguez charged ahead full steam into Morgan. Morgan met him with a few stiff lefts to the head that landed, but it didn't take long for "The Rifle" to cut the ring off and let loose a corking left hook-right cross combination that crumpled Morgan to the canvas. The look on his face said it all. He would not recover, as Rodriguez paraded around the ring in what he knew was his biggest local statement of his professional career. "He was scared. I could see it in his eyes when we stepped into the ring," said Rodriguez some 30 + years after the fight, "I fought angry that night. You shouldn't do that, as it can make you make mistakes, but I figured he had killed himself to make weight, and was not a quick starter like I was, so I bull-rushed him, intimidated him, and made him move right where I wanted him. From there, it was curtains for him," smirked Rodriguez in a 2005 interview with this author.

After the big win over Morgan, Rodriguez fought another rising prospect in Chuck Wilburn in June of 74', winning a majority decision at the St. Paul Auditorium. He followed this win up by taking a rematch with Keith Averette, this time stopping him in the opening round. At this point, Rafael Rodriguez was a name getting press across the country as man to watch. His trainer and manager, Papa Joe Daszkiewicz was pleased with his progress and decided to test him against former world champion, Denny Moyer in February of 75'. As usual, Rafael came out blazing, dropping the iron-chinned Moyer in the opening round with a monster left hook. Moyer would get up, but took an awful beating the remaining 9 rounds, as Rafael solidified his standing and added a nice name to his resume. Granted, Moyer was nowhere near his prime, but he had just shocked the boxing community by stopping the hard-punching and undefeated, Rocky DiFazio in his previous bout. The Moyer victory put Rodriguez at 14-1-1 and set the stage for the biggest test of his young career-Hedgemon Lewis.

Hedgemon Lewis was a 1970's Welterweight stud that nobody wanted to fight. In addition to top-rate skills, he had big-time Hollywood money behind him in Ryan O'Neal and Bill Cosby. It's not exaggeration to say that his boxing skills were on par with that of Sugar Ray Leonard, as many historians have already said as much. He was that good. Going into the Rodriguez fight, he was the definite favorite and many thought old Papa Joe had lost his mind in throwing Rafael in with the highly rated Lewis, who with a record of 51-6, had already faced many mega-stars in the Welterweight division such as: Ernie Lopez, Billy Backus, Chucho Garcia, Armando Muniz, and the legendary Jose Napoles. Yeah, he was pretty good. He was supposed to whip Rodriguez and give him a boxing lesson, supposedly to remind the young and cocky Mexican from Minneapolis that he was not at the level of the most elite fighters. Lewis was in for a surprise. Though he won a unanimous decision over Rafael in March of 75, his night was no picnic, as both fighters cut up the other in a viscous 10-rounder that left both men extremely exhausted and bruised. Rodriguez had more than held his own, winning in most peoples' eyes, at least 4 rounds. He wasn't supposed to even be around 4 rounds.

This performance by the feisty Chicano prompted even Lewis' handlers to grant Rafael an immediate rematch. In the end, the result was the same, but this time the margin of victory was even slimmer for Lewis, as he escaped with a split-decision that many boxing experts and newspaper reporters actually thought should have went to Rafael. News of these good showings alone, were enough for Ring Magazine to place him at #1 in their United States Rankings at Jr. Middleweight, and #9 in the world. Just who was he ranked ahead of? Try Harold Weston, Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. No kidding, and not bad company. All this, at a time when getting a world ranking was more difficult than reading a Playboy in brail.

After the Lewis fights, Daszkiewicz and Rodriguez went on a 3-fight winning streak, posting victories over Tommy Howard, Chucho Garcia, and Angel Robinson Garcia, before losing a close decision to Harold Weston, in Weston's backyard in New York. He then posted three more wins before fighting power-punching Clyde Gray in yet another fighter's backyard; this time in Canada. Almost 7,000 people came to see the fight, producing a gate of almost $90,000 (about $315,000 today). This loss was a controversial one. So much so, that Rodriguez and Daszkiewicz were invited to participate in the well-publicized United States Television Tournament in New Jersey. Rodriguez was slated to fight one of the hottest prospects in years-Bruce Curry. Curry, the brother of 1980's pound-for-pound star, Donald Curry, was tabbed to be one of the next great superstars of boxing. He would have been our 1976 Olympian if he had not run into a kid by the name of Ray Leonard in the semi-finals, and had reportedly sported an amateur record of 315-11. Entering the tournament, he was a perfect 8-0 and he and Rodriguez fought a war. Back and forth the two talented stars took turns winning rounds until it was all over with the scorecards reading to be a Draw. Since there had to be a winner in order to know who went onto the next round, they were ordered to fight a sudden-death 11th round to determine the winner. Rodriguez was exhausted and was outworked in that final round and the contest was awarded to Curry. A dejected Rodriguez was now 20-6-1 and still considered to be a very formidable contender, but he was beginning to get depressed. "About that time I started to get sick and tired of fighting good fights and losing decisions that I felt I had won. I knew some of it had to do with those fights being in my opponent's backyards and all, and others had to do with the fact that some fighters (like Curry) had big money backing them to win. If ever things were close, and they always are with us better fighters, then they always leaned towards the hometown guy. I began doing drugs and giving into those temptations and I started to get an attitude problem about the sport in general," said Rodriguez in 2005, recalling his career.

Things were also starting to get edgy between him and Papa Joe too. Joe knew of his drug use but did his best to work with Rafael through it. He agreed to have Rafael face former champion, Billy Backus; another fight in someone else's backyard. Rodriguez couldn't get things together that night, and dropped a unanimous decision to the Hall of Famer. He returned home and had a spat with Daszkiewicz that caused a split between them. "My dad loved Rafael. He really did," stated Chuck Daszkiewicz, "I don't even remember why they split anymore. I do know that when they were arguing, Rafael was working out a lot at Ron Peterson's 7th Street Gym on Hennepin Avenue and dad felt that Ron talked him into leaving him and signing with him. All I can say is that look at Rafael's record when my dad had him, and then look at it after Ron took him over." Daszkiewicz continued, "Rafael was just so good, it is sometimes hard to believe he didn't win a world title. He just always seemed to miss it by inches. He'd be positioned to the point where all he had to do was win one or two more and he'd have been fighting for the title, but it just didn't happen."

Rodriguez did sign with fight promoter and manager, Ron Peterson and the two embarked on a quest to try and not only make another run at a world ranking, but also to make some nice paydays as well. Peterson was a good friend of Rafael's and his father had frequently sponsored Ralph by advertising his auto dealership on Rodriguez's trunks throughout the years. One of Ron's strengths was his ability to get deals done. His first deal was one that Rafael had been wanting for years…a fight with Rochester's bad boy, Pat O'Connor. Pat O'Connor was one of the most decorated and naturally gifted fighters the state of Minnesota has ever produced, yet sadly was his own worst enemy, often choosing women, partying, and drugs over training and his career. After winning the National Golden Gloves title in 1968, every promoter in the country wanted to sign him. Barely into his career, he was so good that they threw him against the state Middleweight champion, Duane Horsman in just his 13th pro fight. Pat took the decision, but not the title, as by commission rules of the day, he was not yet old enough to fight for a title. His stock continued to climb for years until his partying ways took over to such a degree that he began gaining weight from his marijuana use, and that forced him to compete in weight classes he did not belong in, fighting as high as Light Heavyweight. But a lucky punch from journeyman Vincente Medina in 1976 ended his career. Pat had won every round, only to get caught in the 6th round by Medina. O'Connor immediately retired and was considered by Minnesota boxing experts as an underachiever, despite his lofty 41-4 record. They felt a man with the ridiculous skills and athleticism of Pat's should have been a "lock" to be a world champion. But when 1978 rolled around and O'Connor needed money, it was rumored that he was turning his sights back on boxing. Peterson made his move. The smart thing for O'Connor to have done after a two-year layoff, was to take a few tune-up fights, but yet the real money to be made was in facing a local rival with a man who had publically ridiculed and mocked him for years-Rafael Rodriguez. Peterson didn't allow O'Connor the option to take a tune-up, wisely making the fight in quick order with Rafael.

The news of their pending fight was hot in the Press. It was true that O'Connor had been out of the game for two years, and Rodriguez was active and in his prime, yet O'Connor was a good talker and had done a excellent job of convincing the pundits that he had a great chance of winning. He tore through his sparring partners and his public workouts impressed so many, that the odds were not only even, but in his favor in certain circles. The fight was a brutal and fast-paced one. Rodriguez took full advantage of Pat's layoff, bringing the fight to him and working his body over well, sapping the legs from Rochester's golden boy. Rafael was at his best that night, roughing Pat up in the clinches, ripping him to the body when inside, and out-boxing him when at long-range. Pat had his moments to be sure, but they were few and far between, with most experts thinking that Rodriguez had won at least 7 of the 10 rounds. Rodriguez was awarded the decision, but it was a split-decision. The closeness in the scores were booed and even O'Connor admitted that he was thoroughly whipped by a greater margin, but asked for a rematch. Peterson and Rodriguez were more than happy to grant one, as a win, plus a nice payday is always a nice combination.

Remarkably, many people were once again picking O'Connor to rise to the occasion and beat Rodriguez in the return match. But it was not to be. "I was sick with the flu for our first fight, and I still kicked his ass," recalled Rodriguez in 2005, "so I knew I'd be even more on my game in the rematch". He was, knocking Pat on his rear in the opening round and kicking the living crap out of O'Connor so badly, that Pat needed to visit a hospital afterwards to have his mouth and eye sewn back together. Rodriguez fought perhaps his best performance since his Hedgemon Lewis fights, as Peterson had prepared him well. Rodriguez's back-to-back wins over Pat O'Connor, who was still viewed as a big-name, brought Rafael right back into the mix on the world scene. After the O'Connor fights, Rodriguez and Peterson set their sights on making money and perhaps taking some short-cuts to a high ranking by fighting the highly ranked Pete Ranzany in November of 78'-in Ranzany's backyard, of course. The decision was a rank one, and the crowd even was reported to have booed the verdict, as Rodriguez once again found himself the victim of what seemed to be some hometown cooking by the judges. About this time, Sugar Ray Leonard's people were looking for a serious challenge to push their talented, young, superstar hard in Baltimore. Peterson used his connections and his suave persuasion skills for that person to be Rafael. "It was good money, and Rafael and I didn't feel that Ray Leonard had been seriously pushed at all in his young career at that point. So if you were going to beat him, that would be the time to do it," said Peterson in a 2005 conversation with this author. Few could disagree with that logic. "I have a lot of trusted, good, friends in boxing all around the country," said former boxing trainer, Bill Kaehn, in a recent conversation, "and they all told me that Rafael had scared the ever-living shit out of Sugar Ray at the Press Conference for that fight. Ray was scared to death of him." The film from their fight reveals that Leonard was indeed cautious in the early going until he realized that he could get in and get out against Rafael. "I could not get going in that fight," said Rodriguez years later, "He was just so damn fast in that fight, that the moment I thought about doing something, he beat me to it. He hurt me good in the 7th round too, but when I was still standing at the end of the fight, I think he was extremely disappointed," laughed Rodriguez.

Immediately after the Leonard fight, Rafael battered Arnell Thomas so badly in the opening round, that Thomas' corner refused to allow him to come out for the 2nd stanza. After the Thomas win, Rodriguez's career began to go on the decline. He lost his rematch with Pete Ranzany, as well as fights with Lenny Harden and Britain's top fighter, Davey Boy Green. He then stunned his critics with a big win over contender Jerry Cheatham, but then began a 5-fight losing streak, during which Rafael's drug use escalated and matched his depths of depression. Twin Cities sports writers began to call for his retirement and noted his declining record. But just as the nay-sayers were speaking from their pulpits, Rodriguez and Peterson traveled to New York and knocked out the highly-regarded Johnny Turner in 4 rounds. Rodriguez followed this up with another 4-round KO, this time defending his state Jr. Middleweight title against Tyrone Wren in April of 81', followed by a win over William Page two months later. Rodriguez was now 35 years-old. No longer considered a contender, but instead a trial horse, promoters hoped to use him to gauge where their young stars were on the talent pole. He was brought in against up-and-coming Milton McCrory, Manny Steward's newest sensation. He was stopped in the 7th round by the younger, fresher, Detroit banger. Rodriguez then went 1-2-1 in his next 4 fights before facing a man that he thought had been ducking him for years-Gary "The Hammer" Holmgren.

Gary Holmgren was Bill Kaehn's Welterweight banger who for years, had shared some spotlight with Rodriguez among the Welterweights in the Midwest. Rodriguez had been wanting to face Holmgren since the 70's and the dislike between the two men was not small. In fact, you could say, that they hated each other, and so did their trainers/managers in Peterson and Kaehn. "Bill Kaehn is a piece of shit. He's conniving and no one knows it because he always comes off as this super nice guy, but I know how he really is," said Peterson in 2005 when asked about the Rodriguez-Holmgren fight. Peterson continued, "Ralph would have killed Gary if the two had fought in their primes. Shit, Gary was way younger than Ralph when they fought, and Ralph fought him with a fucking bullet still lodged freshly in his ass from an altercation just a month before the fight." This statement by Rodriguez's former manager alludes to a New Year's Eve party that Rafael was at. When an argument ensued and someone pulled out a gun. Rafael turned and ran with the rest of the party but was shot…right in the rear, like Peterson said. Did he cancel the fight-no. He pushed it out just by two weeks and fought with the bullet still in his buttocks. "When I heard that Rafael was still going to fight me after being shot and with a bullet still in him, I thought, Shit…this guy is one bad mother," said Holmgren in a recent conversation.

The fight was an action packed one, and was for the state Jr. Middleweight title of Rodriguez's. It was a close fight, and one that saw the 36 year-old Rodriguez still show shades of his past skill set, firing off snappy combos to Holmgren's face, including one punch that almost ended the fight in the 7th round, only Holmgren survived and went on to take the victory and the title. "That fight was bullshit," recalled Rodriguez in our 2005 conversation about that 1983 title fight, "He ducked me for his entire career and waited for me to get old. End of story. I could have beaten Gary in my prime any day of the week, and everybody in Minnesota knows that."

The Holmgren fight ended the career of the man they once called "The Rifle". It had been a long, hard, 13 year career for the Minneapolis Chicano that once drove fear into the hearts of so many fighters. In his prime, he was greased lighting, and the pound-for-pound baddest man in Minnesota boxing, and a legitimate threat to beat any man in his weight class. In his later years, he was a spoiler, a fighter whose skills were still sharp enough to pull the upset and leave his opponents a bloody mess. "They used me up. They mis-used me in my career. I know I was cheated on many of my purses. And I just was never handled right. Those last few years, I was just fighting for the money. I didn't care anymore, and they still didn't even give me all of that…the money. They used me. 'Fight this killer. Fight that killer, Rafael. Fight them in their backyards with their judges, and do it all the time too; and by the way, we're fighting this guy next week so we need to be ready. You're always in shape anyways right? You're ready, right Ralph? Don't worry Ralph, we'll make some money.' Shit…I heard that crap all of the time. I could have easily have had a record of 45 wins and 6 losses, but I took my show on the road and fought killers in their own backyards, and often on a moment's notice too. I could have stayed here protected like so many of our fighters have done, but I didn't. I'd stack my resume against any of today's fighters in a heartbeat. Look at these guys around here today. They don't fight anybody because their managers know that they can't fight. Not all of them, but some of them." He's right, of course. He did fight killers, and under the circumstances that he mentions too. In his long and illustrious career, Rafael Rodriguez compiled 4 Upper Midwest Golden Glove titles, held the Minnesota Jr. Middleweight title for almost a decade, was ranked the #1 Jr. Middleweight in the country, and #9 in the world, fought 5 world champions and 19 ranked fighters, and is hands-down…the best Hispanic fighter in Minnesota history. Had the little dynamiter fought in today's era and with more careful matchmaking, there's no telling what he would have accomplished. Today Rafael Rodriguez is 64 years-old and lives in western Minneapolis near Crystal. He occasionally shows up to watch some of the more major fights in the Twin Cities and can frequently be seen there with his brother Kenny, cheering from the stands. Though he's mellowed out considerably from the days where he'd pull a man's heart out for $10, and for an extra $5, bring back his ear as well, he's still got plenty of feistiness in him yet, so be careful when approaching him at a fight card. And if you see him limping just a little, be patient…that bullet in his buttocks that he fought Holmgren with back in 83'...it's still in there. One bad Chicano, is right.

Thanks for the memories Senor Rodriguez. You were one of our greatest.

 

I would like to thank boxing historian Jake Wegner for sharing this story with us on one of Minnesota boxing's past superstars. Jake will be kind enough to bring us monthly pieces that will shed more light on our past fighters.