Red hot DBE prospects Edwin Rodriguez and Marcus Johnson collect year end recognition with an eye towards the future
Recently, the name of DiBella Entertainment’s grand champion Sergio Martinez has been turning up left and right as publication after publication name their 2010 Fighter of the Year. But also getting some ink are two young super middleweights in the DiBella Entertainment (“DBE”) stable: Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (17-0, 13 KOs) and Marcus “Too Much” Johnson (20-0, 15 KOs), as they have both been recognized as top prospects to keep an eye on in 2011 by various media outlets.
Rodriguez was active in 2010, going 4-0 with each of his wins coming by way of knockout. He made his debut on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights in March with a first round knockout of normally rugged veteran George Armenta, and then made his ShoBox debut in April with a six round drubbing of Kevin Engel. Both those wins came via body shot. He closed the year by capturing the WBC USNBC title with a ninth round stoppage of James McGirt, Jr. on ShoBox. [Editor’s Note: He’s #10 in ProBoxing-Fans.com’s super middleweight rankings].
“Receiving these honors validates the hard work I put in at the gym,” said Rodriguez, who returns to the ring next Friday night against Aaron Pryor, Jr. on Friday Night Fights. “To have guys like Dan Rafael and George Kimball write the things they have about me is humbling and it only makes me want to do more.”
Johnson fought twice in the year, both on Showtime’s ShoBox series. In April, he decisively beat previously unbeaten Derek Edwards, winning a twelve round decision. He followed up that performance with an impressive third round stoppage on hard-nosed Kevin Engel in November.
“This is pretty exciting,” said Johnson. “I am looking forward to this upcoming year and making some more noise. I am going to keep striving and keep my record intact.”
