# Luis Manuel Rodríguez

Luis Manuel Rodríguez (17 June 1937 – 8 July 1996) was a Cuban professional boxer. Known as "El Feo", he began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, he twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Paret. He held the Undisputed Welterweight Championship in 1963, and challenged once for the WBA, and WBC middleweight titles in 1969.
After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States. Fighting out of Miami, Rodriguez decisioned top welterweights such as Virgil Akins and Rudell Stitch.

## Professional career

He was unbeaten in 36 fights before losing a split decision to Emile Griffith in a 1960 non-title fight. In 1963, Rodriguez and Griffith fought twice for the lineal welterweight title. Rodriguez defeated Griffith by a unanimous decision to win the title, but Griffith regained it three months later with a split decision. Their fourth and final meeting came in 1964, with Griffith retaining the welterweight title with a split decision.
Rodriguez was trained by Angelo Dundee at the old 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach alongside Ralph Dupas, Willie Pastrano, Florentino Fernández and Pinklon Thomas.
Rodriguez was ringside and provided ancillary television commentary for the nationally televised Thursday night, 21 March 1963 Dodger Stadium featherweight championship bout between reigning champ Davey Moore and Sugar Ramos, won after ten rounds by technical knockout (TKO) by Ramos and resulting within the hour in a comatose state for Moore, and ultimately his death on 25 March. He had just beaten Griffith (who had himself fought Benny Paret in another tragic fight) for the world Welterweight title in the same program. Moore's death was memorialized by recording artist Bob Dylan in his long-unreleased (but widely bootlegged) song, "Who Killed Davey Moore?" (the complete telecast of the fight is available on YouTube, as are several of Dylan's various performances of the song.)
In November 1969, Rodriguez challenged Nino Benvenuti in Rome, Italy, for the middleweight world title. In the 11th round, slightly ahead on points but tiring and badly cut, Benvenuti suddenly landed a perfect left hook that left Rodriguez on the floor for 5 minutes.
Rodriguez retired in 1972 after losing to Donato Paduano in Montreal. He died on 8 July 1996 at South Shore Hospital in Miami Beach.
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2009 The Ring magazine ranked Rodriguez as the third-greatest Cuban boxer of all time, behind Kid Gavilán and Kid Chocolate.

## Eastern Airlines Flight 202

Rodriguez and his trainers were among 33 passengers on Eastern Airlines flight 202 from Miami to Dallas, Texas, when that flight got hijacked and taken to Cuba on July 24, 1961. Rodriguez was fearful for his life since he had escaped from Cuba recently. However, Cuban authorities allowed the plane and its passengers to return to the United States without further incident. Rodriguez was on his way to a fight versus Curtis Cokes, which he eventually lost by split decision some days later, on August 3.

## Professional boxing record

| 121 fights | 107 wins | 13 losses |
| By knockout | 49 | 3 |
| By decision | 57 | 10 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| 121 | Loss | 107–13 (1) | Donato Paduano | SD | 10 | Apr 12, 1971 | Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 120 | Loss | 107–12 (1) | Mike Lankester | MD | 10 | Mar 16, 1971 | Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
| 119 | Win | 107–11 (1) | Dave Hilton | UD | 10 | Nov 30, 1971 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 118 | Win | 106–11 (1) | Mike Padgett | KO | 2 (10) | Nov 1, 1971 | Lander College Athletic Gym, Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| 117 | Loss | 105–11 (1) | Rafael Gutierrez | TKO | 6 (10) | Aug 3, 1971 | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| 116 | Loss | 105–10 (1) | Bunny Sterling | PTS | 10 | May 25, 1971 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 115 | Win | 105–9 (1) | Tony Mundine | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 7, 1971 | North Melbourne Oval, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |
| 114 | Win | 104–9 (1) | Bobby Cassidy | SD | 10 | Jan 26, 1971 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 113 | Win | 103–9 (1) | J C Ponder | KO | 5 (10) | Dec 1, 1970 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 112 | Win | 102–9 (1) | Jose Gonzalez | UD | 12 | Sep 24, 1970 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 111 | Win | 101–9 (1) | Fraser Scott | MD | 10 | Aug 20, 1970 | Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | |
| 110 | Loss | 100–9 (1) | Jose Gonzalez | PTS | 10 | Jul 31, 1970 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 109 | Win | 100–8 (1) | Baby Boy Rolle | TKO | 5 (10) | Jun 27, 1970 | Dinner Key Auditorium, Coconut Grove, Florida, U.S. | |
| 108 | Win | 99–8 (1) | Willie Warren | UD | 10 | Apr 14, 1970 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 107 | Win | 98–8 (1) | Joe Cokes | TKO | 4 (10) | Mar 17, 1970 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 106 | Win | 97–8 (1) | Porter Rolle | KO | 4 (10) | Feb 10, 1970 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 105 | Loss | 96–8 (1) | Nino Benvenuti | KO | 11 (15) | Nov 22, 1969 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Lazio, Italy | For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
| 104 | Win | 96–7 (1) | Tom Bethea | UD | 10 | Sep 23, 1969 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 103 | Win | 95–7 (1) | David Beckles | TKO | 2 (10) | Aug 12, 1969 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 102 | Win | 94–7 (1) | Eddie Owens | KO | 7 (10) | Jul 8, 1969 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 101 | Win | 93–7 (1) | Rafael Gutierrez | TKO | 6 (12) | Mar 31, 1969 | Sports Arena, San Diego, California, U.S. | |
| 100 | Win | 92–7 (1) | Bobby Williams | TKO | 7 (10) | Feb 20, 1969 | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 99 | Win | 91–7 (1) | Doug Huntley | UD | 10 | Jan 21, 1969 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 98 | Win | 90–7 (1) | Joe Shaw | UD | 10 | Nov 15, 1968 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 97 | Win | 89–7 (1) | Rudy Rodriguez | TKO | 4 (10) | Sep 4, 1968 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 96 | Win | 88–7 (1) | Vicente Rondón | UD | 10 | Jul 18, 1968 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 95 | Loss | 87–7 (1) | Vicente Rondón | UD | 10 | Jun 3, 1968 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 94 | Win | 87–6 (1) | Ted Wright | UD | 10 | May 5, 1968 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 93 | Win | 86–6 (1) | Carl Moore | UD | 10 | Mar 26, 1968 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 92 | Win | 85–6 (1) | Charley Austin | TKO | 6 (10) | Feb 6, 1968 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 91 | Win | 84–6 (1) | Bennie Briscoe | UD | 10 | Dec 15, 1967 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 90 | Win | 83–6 (1) | Candy McFarland | PTS | 10 | Nov 16, 1967 | Maracaibo, Venezuela | |
| 89 | Win | 82–6 (1) | Percy Manning | TKO | 1 (10) | Nov 6, 1967 | Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 88 | Win | 81–6 (1) | Phil Robinson | KO | 3 (10) | Sep 29, 1967 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 87 | Win | 80–6 (1) | Ferd Hernandez | UD | 10 | Sep 7, 1967 | Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
| 86 | Win | 79–6 (1) | Jimmy Lester | UD | 10 | Jun 28, 1967 | Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
| 85 | Win | 78–6 (1) | Juan Carlos Rivero | UD | 10 | Jun 4, 1967 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 84 | Win | 77–6 (1) | Bennie Briscoe | UD | 10 | Mar 20, 1967 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 83 | Win | 76–6 (1) | Esteban Alfredo Osuna | PTS | 10 | Feb 18, 1967 | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | |
| 82 | Win | 75–6 (1) | Manuel Alvarez | KO | 8 (10) | Jan 20, 1967 | Club Atletico Quilmes, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| 81 | Win | 74–6 (1) | Ruben Orrico | TKO | 4 (10) | Sep 24, 1966 | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | |
| 80 | Win | 73–6 (1) | Juarez de Lima | KO | 3 (10) | Sep 9, 1966 | Estadio Norte, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | |
| 79 | Loss | 72–6 (1) | Curtis Cokes | TKO | 15 (15) | Jul 6, 1966 | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 78 | Win | 72–5 (1) | Tommy Caldwell | TKO | 2 (10) | May 7, 1966 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 77 | Loss | 71–5 (1) | Percy Manning | SD | 10 | Apr 11, 1966 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 76 | Win | 71–4 (1) | George Benton | TKO | 9 (10) | Mar 7, 1966 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 75 | Win | 70–4 (1) | Joey Limas | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 25, 1966 | Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 74 | Win | 69–4 (1) | Fred McWilliams | TKO | 9 (10) | Jan 18, 1966 | Sportatorium, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 73 | Win | 68–4 (1) | Joe Louis Murphy | KO | 4 (10) | Dec 20, 1965 | Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 72 | Win | 67–4 (1) | Eddie Pace | UD | 10 | Dec 2, 1965 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 71 | Win | 66–4 (1) | Cecil Mott | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 16, 1965 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 70 | Win | 65–4 (1) | Johnny Morris | TKO | 2 (10) | Oct 4, 1965 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 64–4 (1) | Rubin Carter | UD | 10 | Aug 26, 1965 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 63–4 (1) | Charley Austin | UD | 10 | Aug 3, 1965 | Sportatorium, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 62–4 (1) | Jose Assuncao | UD | 10 | Jul 26, 1965 | Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 66 | Win | 61–4 (1) | Memo Ayon | RTD | 3 (10) | Jul 16, 1965 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 60–4 (1) | Rip Randall | UD | 10 | Apr 21, 1965 | Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 64 | Win | 59–4 (1) | John Henry Smith | KO | 10 (10) | Mar 26, 1965 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 63 | Win | 58–4 (1) | Rubin Carter | UD | 10 | Feb 12, 1965 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 57–4 (1) | LC Morgan | KO | 2 (10) | Nov 14, 1964 | El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | |
| 61 | Loss | 56–4 (1) | Emile Griffith | SD | 15 | Jun 12, 1964 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | For WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 60 | Win | 56–3 (1) | Jesse Smith | UD | 10 | Apr 4, 1964 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 59 | Win | 55–3 (1) | Holley Mims | UD | 10 | Mar 20, 1964 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 58 | Win | 54–3 (1) | Wilbert McClure | UD | 10 | Dec 27, 1963 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 57 | Win | 53–3 (1) | Wilbert McClure | UD | 10 | Oct 18, 1963 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 52–3 (1) | Denny Moyer | TKO | 9 (10) | Aug 17, 1963 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 55 | Loss | 51–3 (1) | Emile Griffith | SD | 15 | Jun 8, 1963 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring, welterweight titles |
| 54 | Win | 51–2 (1) | Emile Griffith | UD | 15 | Mar 21, 1963 | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Won WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles |
| 53 | Win | 50–2 (1) | Joey Giambra | UD | 10 | Jan 19, 1963 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 49–2 (1) | Mel Collins | UD | 10 | Dec 12, 1962 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 51 | Win | 48–2 (1) | Santiago Gutierrez | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 6, 1962 | Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
| 50 | Win | 47–2 (1) | Ernest Burford | TKO | 7 (10) | Aug 29, 1962 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 46–2 (1) | Gene Armstrong | TKO | 8 (10) | Jun 3, 1962 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 48 | Win | 45–2 (1) | Yama Bahama | TKO | 3 (10) | May 5, 1962 | St. Nicholas Arena, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 47 | Win | 44–2 (1) | Ricardo Falech | TKO | 3 (10) | Mar 17, 1962 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 43–2 (1) | Luis Federico Thompson | UD | 10 | Jan 27, 1962 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 42–2 (1) | Curtis Cokes | UD | 10 | Dec 2, 1961 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 44 | Win | 41–2 (1) | Jose Gonzalez | TKO | 7 (10) | Oct 24, 1961 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 43 | Win | 40–2 (1) | Guy Sumlin | TKO | 5 (10) | Sep 13, 1961 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 42 | Loss | 39–2 (1) | Curtis Cokes | SD | 10 | Aug 3, 1961 | Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 39–1 (1) | Alfredo Cota | KO | 4 (10) | May 13, 1961 | Arena Coliseo, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | |
| 40 | Win | 38–1 (1) | Alvaro Gutierrez | TKO | 5 (10) | Apr 15, 1961 | Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | |
| 39 | Win | 37–1 (1) | Johnny Gonsalves | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1961 | Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 36–1 (1) | Lyle Mackin | TKO | 5 (10) | Feb 21, 1961 | Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
| 37 | Loss | 35–1 (1) | Emile Griffith | SD | 10 | Dec 17, 1960 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 35–0 (1) | Johnny Gonsalves | UD | 10 | Nov 28, 1960 | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 34–0 (1) | Yama Bahama | MD | 10 | Nov 16, 1960 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 33–0 (1) | Mel Collins | UD | 10 | Oct 24, 1960 | Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 32–0 (1) | Basil Campbell | KO | 5 (10) | Aug 17, 1960 | Coliseo Nacional, Havana, Cuba | |
| 32 | Win | 31–0 (1) | Virgil Akins | UD | 10 | Jul 6, 1960 | Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 30–0 (1) | Alfredo Cota | KO | 2 (10) | May 26, 1960 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 29–0 (1) | Alvaro Gutierrez | TKO | 4 (12) | Apr 7, 1960 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 29 | Win | 28–0 (1) | Chico Vejar | UD | 10 | May 2, 1960 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 27–0 (1) | Carl Hubbard | KO | 4 (10) | Feb 10, 1960 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 26–0 (1) | Garnet Hart | UD | 10 | Dec 23, 1959 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 25–0 (1) | Isaac Logart | UD | 10 | Oct 21, 1959 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 24–0 (1) | Larry Baker | UD | 10 | Oct 3, 1959 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 24 | Win | 23–0 (1) | Rudell Stitch | SD | 10 | Aug 26, 1959 | State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 22–0 (1) | Virgil Akins | UD | 10 | Jun 17, 1959 | Exhibition Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 21–0 (1) | Cecil Shorts | KO | 9 (10) | May 9, 1959 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 21 | Win | 20–0 (1) | Joe Miceli | TKO | 5 (10) | Feb 21, 1959 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 20 | Win | 19–0 (1) | Juan Padilla | PTS | 10 | Nov 22, 1958 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 19 | Win | 18–0 (1) | Kid Fichique | UD | 12 | Sep 20, 1958 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 18 | Win | 17–0 (1) | Benny Paret | SD | 10 | Aug 9, 1958 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 17 | Win | 16–0 (1) | Charley Scott | KO | 9 (10) | Jul 26, 1958 | Coliseo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba | |
| 16 | Win | 15–0 (1) | Tony Armenteros | PTS | 10 | Apr 19, 1958 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 15 | Win | 14–0 (1) | Rolando Rodriguez | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 29, 1958 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 14 | Win | 13–0 (1) | Benny Paret | UD | 10 | Feb 8, 1958 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 13 | Win | 12–0 (1) | Rolando Rodriguez | PTS | 8 | Nov 16, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 12 | Win | 11–0 (1) | Gomeo Brennan | PTS | 8 | Sep 28, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 11 | Win | 10–0 (1) | Guillermo Diaz | DQ | 6 (8) | Jul 20, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 10 | Win | 9–0 (1) | Guillermo Diaz | PTS | 6 | Jun 22, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 9 | Win | 8–0 (1) | Vicente Reyes | PTS | 6 | May 18, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 8 | Win | 7–0 (1) | Vicente Reyes | PTS | 6 | Mar 23, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 7 | Win | 6–0 (1) | Guillermo Diaz | PTS | 6 | Feb 16, 1957 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 6 | Win | 5–0 (1) | Jose Hernandez | KO | 5 (6) | Jan 12, 1957 | Arena Trejo, Havana, Cuba | |
| 5 | NC | 4–0 (1) | Jose Hernandez | NC | 2 (6) | Dec 15, 1956 | Arena Trejo, Havana, Cuba | Bout suspended by rain downpour |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Pablo Cardenas | TKO | 2 (6) | Nov 24, 1956 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Julian Yanez | PTS | 4 | Oct 20, 1956 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Vicente Reyes | PTS | 4 | Jul 21, 1956 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Lazaro Hernandez Kessell | KO | 3 (4) | Jun 2, 1956 | Palacio de Deportes, Havana, Cuba | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NYSAC welterweight champion (147 lbs)
* WBA welterweight champion (147 lbs)
* WBC welterweight champion (147 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring welterweight champion (147 lbs)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed welterweight champion