‘Biggie’ makes a bang with 2nd KO

FLORESVILLE — Robert “Biggie” Rodriguez can’t figure out why he opens shows, a slot that typically receives little attention.

“I’m always the first to go out for some reason,” he said. “I really don’t know why.”

Rodriguez might not be a main event fighter yet, but he’s inching closer, fight by fight.

Saturday night at the Floresville Event Center, Rodriguez (5-0, 2 KOs) took another step in that direction with a dominating third-round knockout of Miguel Rebullosa (4-7, 3 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico, the opening fight on a nine-bout card.

The end came at 2 minutes, 23 seconds of the third when Rodriguez pummeled Rebullosa with a series of punches, prompting referee Gregorio Alvarez stopped the bout.

A southpaw, Rodriguez dropped Rebullosa earlier in the round with a right hook to the body.

“I started a little bit slow, just trying to feel him out, see what he was going to do,” Rodriguez said. “Once I got started, I felt good. I thought I’d eventually get to him. That was the game plan, to stay on him and don’t let him recover.”

Rebullosa took another promising San Antonio prospect, Israel Ibarra Jr., the distance May 4 at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium. But Ibarra dropped him once with a body shot.

“We watched that fight,” said Marco De Los Santos, Rodriguez’s assistant trainer. “Hands up and go down the middle. That was the instruction. We knew the body shots were going to be there.

“(Rodriguez) did very well. He executed the game plan and took care of business.”

Rodriguez, a bantamweight who just turned 20, was given the nickname “Biggie” in the sixth grade “because I was chubby,” showed a lean frame Saturday.

Rebullosa, 23, came to fight. He was active early, but most of his punches found the gloves of Rodriguez.

The fight was a colorful affair. Rodriguez wore gold shoes; Rebullosa sported green hair.

“My wife dyed it green after I lost a bet with her,” said Rebullosa, who was standing in front of a mirror in the locker room after the fight with an ice bag on his swollen face. “I’ve fought tougher opponents. But he was very good.”

Normally trained by Robert Garcia of Riverside, Calif., Rodriguez said he’s scheduled to fight in Los Angeles on Sept. 21.

He hopes he won’t be the opening act.

“I can’t control that,” he said. “I just have to keep fighting, keep working in the gym and improving. The rest will take care of itself.”

In other bouts, Corey Barlow (3-4-2, 2 KOs) of Austin upset San Antonio heavyweight Tyrrell Herndon (12-4, 8 KOs) in a firstround knockout.

Referee Anthony De Los Santos stopped the bout at the 3:04 mark after Barlow knocked him to the canvas.

“I knew I would be fighting in his home town so I had to push myself,” Barlow said.

Also, Hector Coronado (3-0, 2 KOs), an unbeaten bantamweight from Del Rio, defeated Adam Ealoms (3-18-3, 1 KO) of Austin by unanimous decision.

Brown Nevarez (7-0, 3 KOs) of San Antonio stopped Warren Stewart (0-10) of Austin at 2:19 of the first round in a battle of middleweights.