Nisa “Self-Destruction” Rodriguez (3-0, 1 KO) is coming off her first knockout as a professional boxer. A promotional free agent, Rodriguez fought in New York City on December 17th at Sony Hall in Times Square, on a Boxing Insider Promotions card. The 34 year-old police officer, who fights out of Manhattan, was in her first scheduled six-round fight, and she stopped her opponent, Melody Popravak (2-2-1, 1 KO), in round two. “I never go into a fight looking for a knockout,” Rodriguez explained, “because it won’t happen. I was thrown off a little when I saw an opening late in the opening round, but I went right after that opening to start the second round. It was my first scheduled six-rounder, so I wanted to have my gas tank filled. It was a good performance. In my first two pro fights, I showed I could box, and in this fight, I was a slugger like I’ve always been.”
Because of a European vacation commitment, Rodriguez trained in Paris for a week, returning home a week prior to her fight, which wasn’t finalized until long after her family vacation plans were booked. “The gyms in Paris aren’t as nice as in New York City,” Rodriguez said, “but are decent. I wanted to visit Rome, but I didn’t want to fly there and decided to stay in Paris to train. I came home a week before my fight to get acclimated. I learned how to do that in my amateur days and took advantage of that.”
Rodriguez hopes to make up for lost time in 2025. It’s been difficult matching her because of her amateur pedigree, compounded by limited opponents in her weight class. “In 2025,” she concluded, “I want to establish the steps to obtain a title. I’ve been eying that no matter what group (sanctioning body) it’s for. I’d also like to fight more than three times next year – whatever my job allows for – maybe five or six times.”
Rodriguez’s next fight is scheduled for February 1st at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but she has no opponent yet. She is an eight-time New York Daily News Golden Gloves, six-time Metro Championships, two-time Empire State, and Caribbean and Central Americano gold medalist. A former schoolteacher, Rodriguez has been a NYC police officer for two years, stationed citywide for the rapid response unit, specializing in any crimes that involve adolescents and supporting families of homicides. In addition to being a fulltime police officer and pro boxer, if that were not enough, Nisa works with youths in a program at Cops & Kids Gym in Brooklyn, and she’s married with three children.
“I have always had the belief that with the right movement, Nisa can fight for a world title,” her manager Keith Sullivan commented. “She is moving at a good pace with three fights in nine months. A few more fights and I am confident she will be in a world title match. It is exciting and inspiring to watch this mother of three, who is an NYPD police officer and serves as the de facto godmother to so many kids in the gym, lead this double career as a professional boxer. I am excited for 2025.”
