Francisco Rodríguez (boxer, born 1945)
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Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Brito (20 September 1945 – 23 April 2024) was a Venezuelan boxer. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City he won the gold medal in the inaugural men's light flyweight (– 48 kg) division, in addition to claiming the gold at the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Games. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Rodríguez died on 23 April 2024, at the age of 78.[1]
Amateur career
Rodriguez, nicknamed "Morochito", was Venezuela's first Olympic gold medalist, winning gold in the light flyweight division in its inaugural year of competition, 1968. His amateur record stood at 266 wins, 4 losses.
After the Olympics, Rodríguez signed a professional contract. Before fighting he took his mother to a pro bout. At one point, one of the boxers' bloody mouthpieces landed in Rodriguez's mother's lap. She begged Rodriguez to give up fighting and he cancelled his contract.
Olympic results
Mexico City – 1968
- Round of 32: bye
- Round of 16: Defeated Rafael Carbonell (Cuba) on points, 5-0
- Quarterfinal: Defeated Hatha Karunaratne (Ceylon) by a second-round TKO
- Semifinal: Defeated Harlan Marbley (United States) on points, 4-1
- Final: Defeated Jee Yong-Ju(South Korea) on points, 3-2 (won gold medal)
Munich – 1972
- Lost to Dennis Talbot (Australia) KO 2
Honors
Rodríguez was inducted into the Venezuelan Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
References
- ^ Falleció “Morochito” Rodríguez (in Spanish)
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Francisco Rodríguez". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008.
1968 – 2008: up to 48 kg, 2012–2016: up to 49 kg | |
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51 kg (1971–2007) · 52 kg (2011–) | |
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