Mike Rodriguez: Detective by day, Cut man by night

Mike Rodriguez: Detective by day, Cut man by night

Mike Rodriguez is the guy you want in your corner. Daily he carries out the duties of a detective in the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau in Los Angeles, and has worked in law enforcement for 26 years. When he’s not solving and investigating cases, Mike works as a boxing cut man, and is one of the most in demand in his trade. As a cut man, a fighter’s fate is literally in his hands, dependent on his ability to manage a bad cut, or a damaging head butt.

A native of East Bay, California near Oakland, Mike is 47 years old, the father of three sons, and boxing has been part of his life since the age of 9. As a heavyweight, he advanced through the amateur ranks, won Golden Gloves, was a qualifier for the 1988 West Olympic Trials, and boxed during his time in the Air Force.

In the late ’80′s, Mike made his first forays into working corners- carrying the bucket and water on club shows in the Bay area, but boxing took a bit of a backseat for Mike while his boys were young, and he was in and out of the sport. Then, within the last six or seven years, the fights picked up, and Mike has been working consistently. He credits some of the experts in the business as being mentors, helping him learn and perfect the craft of being a cut man, “Joe Chavez, Stitch Duran, Miguel Diaz, Carlos Vargas, and from the East Coast, Danny Milano, and my good friend, John Bray,” Mike said. And John Bray, former heavyweight boxer and veteran trainer, can attest to Mike’s expertise in the corner. “Mike’s a great cut man,” John said. “He’s very personable with a long bright future in boxing. Mike is also capable. Very detail oriented, and pays attention to what’s going on in the fight- how a fighter is breathing, if a bruise forms, what could happen with that. He puts all his detective skills to work in the corner.”

In addition to skill and knowledge, Mike arrives in the ring armed with the tools of his trade. “I use ice, and n swell, adrenaline 1/1000, which is coagulant to manage cuts, and a variety of cotton swabs, to assist in applying adrenaline, also for noses or applying directly to a cut,” he explained. Currently working with about twenty fighters, Mike has handled some bad cuts, but a couple comes immediately to mind.

“Shawn Porter, on a Showtime bout,” he said promptly, “against Alfonso Gomez. He got cut on the left eye, early, like in the second round. I got that under control, and then he was cut again, even worse, in either the eighth or ninth round. Then Saturday night, when Shawn was fighting Devon Alexander on the Malignaggi/Judah undercard, he sustained some early cuts, to the right eye and forehead, but I kept them under control. Again on Showtime, this August, Francisco Vargas was fighting Brandon Bennett, and was cut in the third round, and I managed through the tenth round.” Other factors that contribute to Mike’s success in the corner are maintaining a calm demeanor, and being prepared. “You learn from experience,” he said. “I have a military background, and have been a cop in stressful situations on the streets,” he said. “I approach working a corner like I have to stay calm, people are counting on me. I stay calm, and ready. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”

Mike stays busy, working crimes, and working fights. There’s no doubt it gets hectic, but he takes it all in stride. “I stay busy with both the fights, and being a detective,” Mike said. “I’m only on call two weekends a month. If a fight conflicts, I take that weekend off. There are times I do have to pass on a fight, but I can adjust and work it out. I’m busy, going from crime scenes to fights,” he continued, and there is certain pressure on both ends, BUT- I love it. The fighting and homicide go hand in hand. And if you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life.”

By: Amy Green, Contributor, www.behindthegloves.com

On Twitter, @amygreenpr