John Duddy W10 Charlie Howe... In Boston on Saturday, middleweight John Duddy returned from the worst performance of his career with a shutout of Charlie Howe. Duddy improved to 25-0 with 17 KOs by a trio of 100-90 scores. Howe falls to 17-4-2 with 9 KOs. Afterwards, Duddy said, “I made a point that I don’t have to be brave all of the time. Jut cause I can take a punch doesn’t mean I have to. I had trouble convincing my self. I proved that I can move my head a lot more. I caught him with some beautiful shots and I thought that he was ready to go, but Charlie has a great chin. I have big plans and I’m still undefeated. I used my jab a lot tonight. I’m hoping to get a shot at a world title.” In his last fight, Duddy's face was cut to ribbons by Walid Smichet but he escaped with a controversial decision. source: press release

June 28, 2008 – “Hassle In The Castle”
 
(winners listed on top)
 
CRUISERWEIGHTS
 
Mark Clancy (8-0-1), Boston, MA via Clare, Ireland
W6 (60-54,60-54, 60-54)
Salah Zabian (6-10, 4 KOs), Lee, MA
 
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
 
John Duddy (25-0, 17 KOs), Queens, NY via Derry, N. Ireland
W10 (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)
Charlie Howe (17-4-2, 9 KOs), Grelton, OH
 
Donny Orr (13-0, 5 KOs), South Boston, MA via Canada
W8  (80-71, 80-71, 80-71)                                 
Roberto Valenzuela (44-38-2, 37 KOs), Aqua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
                                   
Edwin Rodriquez (7-0, 5 KOs), Worcester, MA
W6 (60-54, 60-54, 59-55)
Hector Hernandez (10-3-2, 4 KOs)
 
JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS
 
Anthony Accardi (2-0, 1 KO), Howard Beach, NY
W4 (39-37, 39-37, 37-39)
Broderick Antoine (2-6-1, 1 KO), Troy, NY
 
Promoter: Irish Ropes Promotions
Matchmaker: Jim Borzell
 

Edwin Rodriguez W6 Hector Hernandez... On the same show, Edwin Rodriguez of Worcester, Mass., boosted his record to 7-0 with five knockouts with a six-round unanimous decision over his toughest opponent to date, Hector Hernandez. The 23-year-old Rodriguez, 162, won by scores of 60-54 on two of the three judges’ scorecards and by a score of 59-55 on the third judge’s card. Hernandez, 161 1/2, now has a record of 10-3-2 with four knockouts.

Rodriguez took the fight to Hernandez from the start, piling up points by landing left jabs and combination rights to the head.  The 6-foot-1 1/2-inch Hernandez crouched, fighting small and protecting his body, so Rodriguez, who has done impressive and successful work inside and to the body in recent bouts, scored to the head.

Rodriguez landed a series of left-right combinations to the head which staggered and dazed Hernandez late in the fourth round.

“He was aggressive, but that’s fine, because I’m relentless,” said Rodriguez.  “That made for a good fight and a good test for me.  But I passed it.”

“Edwin established the jab, put punches together, got off first and never stopped applying pressure,” said Rodriguez’s manager, Larry Army Jr.  “Edwin didn’t work the body as much as he usually does, but that’s because he took what the other guy gave him.  Hernandez concentrated on protecting his body, so Edwin scored to the head.  It was like in a football game.  If a team takes away the pass, you run it down their throat.  I think Edwin hit him there, too.” 

“Edwin shined,” said his trainer, Peter Manfredo Sr.  “He’s been getting better every fight, and tonight Edwin looked the best he has to date.  That’s good, because Hernandez was tough, just like we knew he would be.”

Rodriguez and Hernandez were the special attraction on a card featuring undefeated and world-ranked middleweight contender John Duddy in the main event.

Rodriguez, a former two-time national amateur champion who turned pro during late January, is coming off a fourth-round technical knockout of Anthony Cannon May 17 in Dorchester, Mass.; a first-round knockout of Michael Birthmark May 3 in Worley, Idaho; a fourth-round technical knockout of Jeffrey Osborne Jr. April 12 in Boston; a one-sided unanimous decision over veteran James North March 28 in Salamanca, N.Y.; a fourth-round knockout of Fitzgerald Johnson Feb. 8 in Boston; and a first-round knockout of Samuel Ortiz Gomez Jan. 26 in Mansfield, Mass.

Rodriguez won the USA Boxing national championship for 2005 and the Golden Gloves national championship for 2006, both at 165 pounds.

Rodriguez, who has lived in Worcester since arriving in the United States from his native Dominican Republic during 1998, considered competing for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, but the premature birth of twins, Edwin Jr. and Serena Lynn, changed his priorities.  Stephanie Rapa, Edwin’s fiancee and mother of the twins, is a graduate of Holy Cross with a degree in political science and has been accepted by the Western New England School of Law.