By Nick Bellafatto
Undefeated Dominican born Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KO’s) of Worcester, Massachusetts is in a position to shine this weekend as he will for the first time ever headline an HBO card from the MGM Grand at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. And as to why he should shine and/or excel in defense of his recently acquired USBA super middleweight title, it’s that his similarly undefeated opponent, one Jason “Monstruo” Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KO’s) of Union City, New Jersey, is about as green as they come.
Fed a steady diet of set-up opponents where Escalera has amassed 12 knockouts in 14 bouts, the Puerto Rican prizefighter looks to be taking on too much too soon in going up against the well rounded Rodriguez, who, ranked as high as number 9 by Ring Magazine, is a man perhaps a few outings removed from contending for a major world title in one of boxing’s more highly competitive divisions. This, while the jury is still out on whether “Monstruo” Escalera is worthy of being considered a B level fighter if that.
Jason has no doubt proven to be a solid puncher against the mediocre opposition thrown his way, but in his most recent effort where he would go past four rounds for the first time in his career, he would find himself having to comeback just to get the draw against a middle of the road Nick Brinson. With a little lateral movement, some angles, and a few combinations, Brinson would lead most of the way during the eight round contest which took place back in May. In fact, if Nick wouldn’t have faded late under the pressure of the one dimensional Escalera, he would have come out on top.
Suffice it to say, the New Jersey based fighter appears nowhere seasoned enough to be mixing it up with the likes of Rodriguez, which begs the question, why is Escalera being sacrificed at this stage of his young career? Whether Team Escalera feels they’re getting their pupil some much needed experience may be one thing, but if they surmise that Jason’s going to be competitive, that seems to be a stretch.
The Puerto Rican at this juncture is simply and crudely a plod forward high and tight type fighter who hasn’t demonstrated the versatility that’s necessary to deal with his more athletic and accomplished opponent. Moving in with the jab on an inconsistent basis while not featuring head movement one way or the other, Escalera, who at times lunges forward, seems totally ripe for Rodriguez’s slick counters, as “La Bomba” will look to set up his less experienced foe, giving him a variety of looks along the way.
Furthermore, for what power Escalera may have, and again that power has been inflicted upon a weak variety of opposition, Jason fails to cut off the ring, while in addition he has a tendency to deliver wide punches, loading up to no end which will leave him vulnerable to Rodriguez who will surely make hay as he endeavors to punch in between those wide shots. Unless Jason Escalera has improved markedly in seclusion unbeknownst to others, he’s in for a rough ride.
And to touch upon Rodriguez and what he brings to the table in terms of how he will make things difficult for “Monstruo” Escalera, Edwin as the more experienced pugilist has a few identifiable fighters on his resume which may indeed speak to this. Perhaps most notable amongst Rodriguez’s multiple victims is Chi Town’s Donavan “Da Bomb” George, a fighter who similarly to Escalera possesses a high knockout percentage, and an adversary with whom Edwin would clash in his most recent outing.
Coming into that fight Don George was supposedly at or near the level of Rodriguez in what was deemed to be a competitive match up. The only problem for George was that somebody forgot to tell “La Bomba” of the impending parity between them, as Edwin would go on to outclass George in all phases, earning a one sided unanimous decision victory after ten rounds of action to in the process pick up the vacant USBA middleweight belt.
Separating himself as early as round three as the more athletic and dominant fighter, Rodriguez would dictate the terms against George, even when appearing to take a round or two off. In tandem with a stiff jab, sharp counter punching, and excellent footwork and upper body movement, Rodriguez looked world class against the Chicago native, to most impressively demonstrate an impenetrable defense where able to stand directly in front of Donavan, Rodriguez would pick off nearly every blow hurled his way. None of this seems to bode well for Escalera’s chances this weekend.
And come Saturday night, short of falling asleep at the wheel, I expect Rodriguez, who’s under the guidance of esteemed trainer Ronnie Shields, to have everything working for him once the bell rings to at the very least garner a unanimous decision victory. Even if Edwin were to stop Jason Escalera for the first time during Jason’s stint as a pro, I’m not so sure that such an occurrence would put the rest of the division on notice seeing how inexperienced his Puerto Rican adversary is.
Anything less than a sure victory on the part of Edwin Rodriguez would be a total shocker and would go a long way towards upending his standing amongst the heap at super middleweight. With that said, I suspect that the Dominican prizefighter, a man who is seemingly intent on making a living out of this sport, will simply be at his best, to more than likely surpass that of any of his previous performances as he looks to ascend the divisional rankings and reach another rung upon the pugilistic ladder of success.
If only Jason Escalera had the abilities of his kin, former super featherweight world champion Alfredo “El Salsero” Escalera, who made his mark in the mid to late 70’s, then perhaps this weekends main event wouldn’t look like such a forgone conclusion. But things happen in boxing and there are no givens, so that Edwin Rodriguez as a student of the game will have to go out show his mettle as he looks to sooner rather than later trade in his fringe caliber title for one of major distinction.
