Luis Manuel Rodríguez

He was a master of the ring who made boxing a spectacle of refined technique and science.

Luis Manuel Rodríguez was born in Camagüey, Cuba. He was five feet nine inches tall.

He made his debut on June 2, 1956 in Havana against his compatriot Lázaro Hernández Kesell, whom he defeated by knockout in three rounds. With this fight, one of the greatest welterweights of all time began his career.

After 32 consecutive victories, he lost his undefeated record by split decision against American Emile Griffith, in a fight held on April 17, 1960.

He defeated four rivals before being beaten by Curtis Cokes on August 3, 1961, at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas.

The rematch with Cokes took place on December 2, 1961 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, where Luis Manuel gained his revenge with a unanimous decision victory.

Luis Manuel deserved a welterweight title fight between 1959 and 1961 as the top-ranked fighter by The Ring Magazine, which during that period was the organization that set the official rankings. To such an extent that his compatriot Benny "Kid" Paret fought for the crown against Don Jordan from the ninth position after having lost twice to Rodríguez.

The opportunity for a title fight did not come until 1963. It took place on March 21 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles where he defeated Emile Griffith by unanimous decision in 15 rounds, on a day that was called "Cuban Night," because the fighter from Matanzas, Ultiminio Ramos, also fought for the featherweight crown and prevailed in a bloody fight against Davey Moore, who lost his life due to the consequences of the beating inflicted by the Caribbean fighter, becoming the second victim of his punches, the first having been "El Tigre" Blanco, in Havana.

Three months later, on June 8, 1963 at the Garden, Luis Manuel lost the crown to Griffith himself, in a controversial fight where the majority of experts considered it a robbery against the Cuban.

Of the four fights between Luis Manuel and Griffith, in two of them the Cuban had a slight advantage and possibility of victory over the American, but he still lost them by decision. It is worth explaining that Griffith was under the protective shadow of Madison Square Garden magnate Ted Brenner, at a time when the mafia controlled major fights in the city considered the "Mecca of Boxing."

Luis Manuel also defeated the famous Rubin "Hurricane" Carter by unanimous decision at the Garden, on August 26, 1965.

Other fighters who lost to the Cuban besides Carter, Griffith and Cokes, were Isaac Logart, Tony Armenteros, Chico Vejar, Benny Paret, Wilbert MacClure, Benny Briscoe and Rocky Rivero.

When he tried to capture the middleweight crown, he reached number one in the rankings, achieving a title fight on November 22, 1969 in Rome against world champion Italian Nino Benvenuti, and after giving him a boxing lesson for nine rounds, Luis Manuel became the victim of a boxer's greatest enemy: fatigue. The Cuban opened a gap in his defense and through it he was knocked out in the eleventh round with a hook from the Italian.

Among Luis Manuel's virtues in the ring, we can point out the following: he placed his punches in just the right spot, his combinations were precise, he had quick footwork, possessed intelligence, had mastery in taking his opponents into zones of inferiority, and was the owner of one of the best jabs in history.

With all these attributes, the Cuban became a true surgeon of the ring and is considered by experts as one of the greatest boxers of all time in the welterweight division.

He finished his career with 107 victories and 13 defeats, fought 931 rounds, belongs to the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame. He died in Miami on July 8, 1996.

Source: El Nuevo Herald