Ready to knock out the whole boxing fraternity
He is now preparing for a South African title fight on Friday 29 June in Cape Town.
Randfontein, stand up! There is a new boxing champ in town, ready to knock out the whole boxing fraternity.
Frank Rodrigues, 22, who realised his boxing prowess at the age 10, said his pursuit of boxing was influenced by his father’s passion for the sport.
“When we were boys, my two brothers – Fernando and Francisco – and I used to wrestle, but soon that fizzled out as our father was more interested in boxing,” he said, explaining that his father’s love of the jabbing game spurred him on as an amateur.
“My father loved the sport very much and he motivated me to always push myself,” Frank said. He said he became a professional boxer about a year ago, and has been working hard at success. “I started taking boxing very seriously, making sure that I put in enough hard work to get good results,” he explained.
Frank said he first had to lose 30kg of weight to improve his flexibility and stamina.
He said when he turned pro, his first challenge was fighting Colin Nathan in Johannesburg.
“Shortly after that, I fought Dida Dipheko, who is my coach now.”
Asked about why he loves boxing, Frank said it makes him happy to flourish in the sport that his father loves, and to make him proud.
Rodriguez said, however, that boxing is not for everyone. “You need to have something in you for the sport and dedicate your life to it. If you want to be professional boxer, you should know that most of your life is going to be about training.
“This means that you cannot always be out drinking with your buddies; you must be at home training, especially before a fight. There is no time to play around,” he said.
Being only in his early twenties, Frank foresees a good boxing future for himself. “I want to see myself progress as far as I can and be the best I can be in the world.”
Frank is now preparing for a South African title fight on Friday 29 June in Cape Town.
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