At the age of 25, Saul is a seven-year pro. A hard-hitting young prospect at 130 pounds, he has won 16 fights in a row, 11 by knockout, since having a technical draw in October, 2013.
He stayed active in the ring with four fights in 2014 and four fights in 2015. He also stepped up in class of opposition and gave impressive performances.
In his last fight on November 3 in El Paso, Texas, Saul won by second-round TKO against Claudio Tapia.
ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported [excerpts]: Saul “Neno” Rodriguez, who returned from a 20-month layoff after re-signing with Top Rank, stopped Claudio Tapia (28-19-4, 13 KOs), of Argentina, in the second round of their scheduled 10-rounder.
Rodriguez dropped him to a knee with a left-right combination with about a minute left in the first round and then with a four-punch combination in the second round, which prompted [the] referee to wave off the fight at 1:57. [End Rafael item]
In his post-fight interview, Saul said, “I was anxious and excited to get back in there after such a long time out of the ring. It was a long time coming, but I did what I had to do and got the job done.”
Boxingscene.com’s Ryan Burton reported [Sept. 25, 2018 – excerpts]: In July, BoxingScene.com broke the news that super featherweight prospect Saul “Neno” Rodriguez had parted ways with Mayweather Promotions and returned to his original promoter Top Rank Inc. The 25-year-old said that he left on amiable terms.
The hard-hitting Southern California native only fought once under Mayweather’s promotional banner in February, 2017.
“I am very excited. It has been too long since I have been in the ring,” Rodriguez told BoxingScene.com. “I will still be an exciting fighter but I want to show a more dedicated and disciplined Neno.”
Rodriguez, who is trained by his father, Saul Rodriguez Sr., fought on several Solo Boxeo cards as a prospect. Rodriguez plans on making up for lost time. He hopes to get back in the ring again before the end of the year.
“Hopefully I can be back again in December. I am ready and want to stay active,” said Rodriguez. [End Burton item]
In an earlier interview, Saul said, “My style is a puncher-boxer. It’s exciting, entertaining.”
AMATEUR BACKGROUND: Saul said, “I was born in Los Angeles. I only have one sister. My mom works at a kitchen and my dad does construction. I’m the only boxer in my family. My dad used to box as an amateur when he lived in Mexico, and my sister used to box, but she stopped.
“I was eight years old when I started boxing. I used to wrestle with my friends and I always wanted to box. When I saw the fight between Fernando Vargas and Tito Trinidad, that’s when I started boxing.
“I had 118 amateur fights, with a record of 91-17. I’m naturally right-handed.”…
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:
2010 NATIONAL PAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – San Antonio, Texas, 132 pounds: in his first fight on 10-5-10 he stopped Kevin Rivers in the 1st round; in his second fight on 10-6-10 he won by disqualification against Joel Young; in his third fight on 10-7-10 he lost a 13-7 decision against Kenneth Sims Jr.…
STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good punching power…good skills and movement…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 23 fights…81 total rounds…
AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 3.5 rounds…
KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: of total fights – 69 %; of wins – 72 %…
DISTANCE FIGHTS: 10 rounds – 1 (1-0)…8 rounds – 2 (2-0)…
