Local amateur boxer wins third national championship
By now, 16-year-old Gilroy resident Elizabeth Rodriguez has the routine down.
Already a two-time national champion (2008 USA Boxing PAL National Championships and the 2010 Junior Olympics), Rodriguez arrived in San Antonio, TX as prepared as she has ever been.
The challenge in front of her at the 2010 USA Boxing PAL National Championships didn’t surprise her in the least. She was ready.
Forced to move up two weight classes, from 101-pounds to 110, Rodriguez defeated two other boxers in the senior division to claim the third national championship of her career.
“It was a good experience going back,” Rodriguez said, referring to her improvement since her 2008 victory. “I knew it was going to be a challenge.”
The championship qualifies Rodriguez for the Olympic trials, which are slated for next year.
“That’s another opportunity for me,” she said.
The first of her two fights in San Antoniao proved to be easier than she has anticipated.
“I thought the weight division was going to be a lot different, but it wasn’t,” Rodriguez said. ” I knew how the girl fought already from Junior Olympics. I did what I had to do.”
The Mt. Madonna student then went toe-to-toe with another Junior Olympic champion in the final bout and earned a 7-2 (scoring is Olympic-style based on punches landed) decision, outlasting her opponent through the three-round fight.
Rodriguez also has four state titles so far in her young career.
