“I don’t put any of the blame on anybody else,” Mr. Rodriguez declared. “I don’t play victim here.” The 46-year-old former boxer recounted his early days, a whirlwind of partying, women, and alcohol. “My whole life was just chaos.”
Mr. Rodriguez boasted an impressive record of 36 wins, all achieved without a single loss, with an astounding 34 victories coming by knockout. He accumulated a final record of 37 wins and 2 losses. Throughout his career, he held numerous titles, including the Texas Heavyweight, New Mexico Heavyweight, North American Boxing Union Heavyweight, and North American Boxing Association Heavyweight titles, along with two World Boxing Council belts.
Then one night in 2011, he was attacked outside of a bar in El Paso, Texas.
“They slit my throat,” he said, turning to show a scar etched along his jawline. “I saw the blood gush out of my body.” His friend, trying to help, was stabbed. Mr. Rodriguez himself fell into a coma for over a day.
Healing From Trauma
Mr. Rodriguez, a fighter in the ring, found himself battling a new kind of opponent, the lingering psychological scars of the attack. He clawed his way back to boxing, fueled by a determination that had always been his hallmark, but he lost his first two fights after the attack.
“I went from hero to zero,” he sighed, “in a matter of two fights.”
But the victory was short lived.
“I couldn’t get over the emotional trauma,” he admitted.
After the fight against Mr. Domingues, Mr. Rodriguez’s back gave out. Back surgery ended his boxing career, a blessing in disguise, he said. It became a turning point and forced him to confront some harsh realities.
“It changed my life completely,” he said, reflecting on the emotional toll. “I had to switch gears.” He looked back on the life he'd left behind, a life fueled by chaos and self-destruction. “Now my life has changed, I’m sober,” he declared, a newfound sense of purpose evident in his tone. Celebrating four years of sobriety in December was a testament to his hard-won victory over addiction.
Faith, a cornerstone of his childhood spent as an altar boy in a Catholic school, became his anchor.
“I gave my life to God,” he revealed. Belief had always been there. “But now I really had to put it to the test,” he admitted. The bar in El Paso, Texas, a familiar haunt from his past, became the stage for a pivotal moment. He felt a presence, a nudge toward a different path.
From Troubled Past to Advocate
Mr. Rodriguez’s story begins with the promise of an undefeated young athlete on the rise.“I was an undefeated kid, coming up in the ranks,” he recalled. However, his ambition turned into a double-edged sword. Driven by a desire to surpass himself constantly, Mr. Rodriguez set unrealistic goals, admitting, “I kept trying to outdo myself.” These self-imposed expectations became overwhelming. “The expectations got too much for me,” he confessed.
This pressure led Mr. Rodriguez to a period of profound despair, even contemplating suicide. “I was at a very low point,” he said. “There were times I considered taking my own life.” He elaborated, “I was really at that point where I was just putting a gun to my head and just trying to think of a reason.”
Mr. Rodriguez found the strength to carry on. The thought of his parents having to bury another child stopped him from following through. He had lost his sister to alcoholism.
These experiences—suicidal ideation, alcoholism, and nearly dying after the knife attack—in addition to losing his career all contributed to transforming Mr. Rodriguez’s focus. He dedicated his platform to combating bullying and empowering vulnerable youth. “Some of these kids don’t have parents,” he observed during school talks. “Many come from drug-addicted or dysfunctional homes.”
He emphasized the lack of a positive male role model. “A lot of these kids don’t have a father figure,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “And that’s what’s really so troubling about this country.”
He identified with these struggles, sharing that he, too, grew up in a troubled household, and that’s why he loves talking with children in alternative programs or those who have been expelled.
His dedication extends beyond speaking to youth in group settings. Mr. Rodriguez prioritizes time with children, signing autographs and staying until everyone feels acknowledged. He believes his book can be a resource for anyone facing challenges, stating, “It can be used as a manual for anyone who is struggling.”
Boxing World Today
Mr. Rodriguez also commented on some of the current affairs in the boxing world.Boxer Ryan Garcia, a 25-year-old sensation, has been going viral online for making claims that he was kidnapped by a group of global elites who abused children. Mr. Garcia is gearing up to fight WBC junior welterweight champion Devin Haney. He amassed an impressive record with numerous knockouts and has gained a large following on social media, particularly on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Throughout his career, Mr. Garcia has competed in various weight divisions, primarily in the lightweight and super featherweight classes. Fans became concerned after the fighter began posting about witnessing children being sexually abused by “global elites,” followed by Bible verses, and more recently proposing to an adult film actress on Instagram.
While he can’t speak directly to Mr. Garcia’s experience, Mr. Rodriguez acknowledges the intense mental pressure fighters face.
“There is a lot of mental anxiety going into a fight,” Mr. Rodriguez says. “Whether he saw this or not, I don’t know. But I do know that the pressure of boxing, especially when you have a lot to lose, like Ryan Garcia, does a lot to your psyche, cause I went through it. So I just pray for him and I hope that he gets through this. And I think he can beat Devin Haney.”
Following Mr. Garcia’s announcement on social media about being cleared to fight, Mr. Rodriguez offered his perspective on the sport and Mr. Garcia’s management.
“Boxing is a rough, rough sport,” Mr. Rodriguez asserts. “It’s worse than the music industry, the movie industry, any of it because you’re paying with your flesh, and you’re actually a commodity to these flesh peddlers. That’s really what the sport is, it’s slavery at its core.”
He believes Mr. Garcia could have benefited from better guidance, potentially taking aim at Oscar De La Hoya. Mr. Garcia signed with Mr. De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions when he was just 18 years old. Currently, Mr. Garcia and Mr. De La Hoya are suing each other over contract disputes.
“De La Hoya, I think, is more into this for himself,” Mr. Rodriguez suggested. “He’s kind of going back into the boxing world like he wants to make all the best fights, and he wants to put boxing back to where it was, but I think, you know, he’s really missing the prize here.”
Expressing concern for Mr. Garcia’s future, he said the young boxer “could have been one of the greats, but De La Hoya is throwing him to the wolves,” he says. “'You think it was crazy right now? Just wait. If he loses this fight he’s in a self-destruct. This kid is very young and he has a lot of growing up to do.”
Nino’s Corner
While critical of professional boxing, Mr. Rodriguez acknowledges a different approach by internet personality Jake Paul.Mr. Paul transitioned from being primarily known as a social media influencer to a professional boxer and leveraged his massive following on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram to generate interest and hype around his boxing endeavors.
His large fan base ensured that his boxing matches garnered significant attention and viewership, helping to propel his boxing career forward. With a background in wrestling, Mr. Paul embraced his role as a polarizing figure and utilized trash talk, flashy entrances, and social media antics to generate buzz and interest in his fights.
“But what he is is a real boss,” Mr. Rodriguez said of Mr. Paul. “He gets paid. He puts on a show. He uses boxing for him, which is more than I can say for 99 percent of the fighters out there. So I give him props. But is he a real fighter? No.”
Mr. Rodriguez hosts a podcast and Roku show, “Nino’s Corner,” tackling a wide range of trending topics, from the upcoming election to the recent solar eclipse.
Beyond boxing commentary, Mr. Rodriguez has a clothing line called Patriot Wear. As for his own future, he embraces a spiritual outlook.
“I don’t worry about it,” he says. “I mean, I know God’s got my back. I’m following God, and I’m growing organically.”
He asserts that his podcast will continue what he says is a pursuit of truth.
“There’s a lot of things that we thought were not real that are being exposed now, that we’re like, ‘Wow! That’s always been the truth,’” he said. “And when you understand the secret societies that are behind this, behind evolution, behind NASA, behind all the indoctrination camps of the schooling system, you understand that you’re only learning what they want you to learn.”
