Remember him? Of course you do. How can you not? “Iron” Mike Tyson is one of the pound-for-pound best fighters the world has ever seen. When Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006, he left behind, in the heavyweight division, an enormous void that no fighter after him could fill, including the forceful Klitschko Brothers, Wladimir and Vitali — at least until recently (which I’ll discuss momentarily). Actually, I believe Iron Mike’s career and legacy became scarred after his loss to Buster Douglas in 1990, and thereafter, Tyson visibly withdrew from the competitive part of the sport of professional boxing as evidenced by his gross lack of enthusiasm for participating; in other words, Tyson wasn’t there even when he was there (in the ring). I think the vibes that Tyson emitted were felt by Tyson-fans (including myself) who believed that the legend they had grown to love was gone. Tyson’s quote expresses this sentiment best: “I have the ability to stay in shape but I don’t have this in my heart anymore; I don’t have this in my heart anymore” (Source: The Kid, “Dear Manny Pacquiao Letter … C’mon!”).
“The king is dead, long live the king!”
David “El Nino” Rodriguez may be the Mexican-American version or incarnation of Iron Mike Tyson. Rodriguez may be the inheritor of what I call the IRON LEGACY; the void I described before that has not been filled since Mike Tyson’s departure from the sport; the thrown that fight fans in America (if not around the world) have sought to be filled in the heavyweight division since 1990.
In Spanish, El Nino translates into English as “The Child”, but I doubt very seriously that is the angle that Rodriguez was aiming for. In fact, Rodriguez is likely aiming for El Nino, the quasiperiodic climate that causes destruction around the world. In that context, I can see why they call him El Nino in the ring. Rodriguez causes great harm in ring, and I dare say, more than his predecessor Iron Mike Tyson. If you don’t think so, shall we allow the facts to persuade?
I examined the professional boxing records of Rodriguez and Tyson at specific times in their respective careers, thirty-five (35) wins and zero losses (no draws), and the facts are persuasive. At thirty-five (35) wins and zero losses, Tyson had thirty-one (31) knockouts (including technical knockouts) with a knockout rate of eighty-nine percent (89%) based on the total of numbers of professional bouts. Comparably, Rodriguez at the same point in his career has thirty-three (33) wins and zero losses (no draws) and a knockout rate of ninety-five percent (95%) based on the total number of professional bouts. FACT.
Aside from both Tyson and Rodriguez being orthodox-style fighters, their fighting styles are vastly different. “Tyson was definitely a brawler, who put tremendous pressure on his opponent, constantly moving forward, with a lot of defensive bobbing and weaving; he was mostly a counter-puncher with incredible power that moved in for the kill when his opponent threw their jab,” says combat sports blogger, Chris “The Kid” Collado from Fisticuffers.com (shown in the pic above-to-the-right on the left), ”He had an elusive style.”
Unlike Tyson, Rodriguez is a boxer; ready to scrap and mix it up when he has to; always ready to throw his hands and shots; exhibits really clean combinations that move from his opponent’s body to his opponent’s head. In the ring, Rodriguez is mobile and flexible; not always the aggressor; not always in front of his opponent. Rodriguez is a sharp big and tall quick guy, while Tyson was sharp, short and quick. They both demonstrate very keen ring-IQs. Tyson and Rodriguez both have undeniable punching power.
There has not been another professional boxer since Iron Mike Tyson to excite me about the heavyweight division the way that Rodriguez does when I look at his bouts and witness what he can do in the ring. He is not flashy and/or overly risky. As well, Rodriguez is not what you would expect from the typical heavyweight fighter; you know, the kind of slow moving but a powerful brawler. In some ways, Rodriguez reminds me of Muhammad Ali when you consider how agile he is, often, for his size. But still, I think Rodriguez takes Mike Tyson’s legacy because of his knockout ability. People naturally will associate the knockout-greatness of Rodriguez in modern professional boxing era with the likes of Mike Tyson. As a result, David Rodriguez will naturally be known for extending the pound-for-pound punching power and dynamic knockout legacy that Mike Tyson began in the modern era in the heavyweight division.
I am a die-hard boxing fan (amateur and professional, male or female), and David Rodriguez (“D-Rod”) seems to be the next coming of “Iron” Mike Tyson, particularly if he can withstand challenges from the professional heavyweight ranks that will try to stop him from attaining greatness. As Tyson did before Rodriguez, I think D-Rod will annihilate most of them. I could be wrong, but with a ninety-five percent (95%) knockout rate in a smart tough heavyweight boxer like Rodriguez, I don’t think I am.
Don’t think I am.
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