When I was young, all I wanted was to be a ninja. I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles everyday and I imagined fighting crime with a cool mask and weapons like them. ? David Rodela
The young David Rodela never dreamt of being a professional boxer. ?A ninja.? This was his quick, undaunted answer when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. David begged his father daily to get him in one of the city?s kickboxing schools. ?I know it was kickboxing but I never used my legs,? said David while demonstrating just how high he could kick. He swung his left leg and it peaked a couple of inches below his waist level. ?You can?t go into kickboxing with that,? he said.
?I just used my hands as much as I could. I held on to my opponent?s leg after he threw a kick then I?d start punching him. But in time, my trainer told me that kickboxing was not for me. He said I should give boxing a try,? David recalled.
He did not have a smooth transition from kick boxing to boxing. ?I got floored in my first sparring,? he said ?but I kept coming back, I got knocked down a lot but I kept coming back.? His resilience paid off as David slowly learned the kinks and quirks of the sweet science.
He was a good amateur fighter. He even reached the Olympic trials for the American team but he never had the chance to prove just how good an amateur fighter he really was.
David broke his right leg in a car accident right before the Olympic trials. ?I fell asleep while I was driving and I rammed my car on a telephone pole,? he said ?but I still consider myself lucky because the doctors could have amputated my leg but they decided to save it.?
The scar in his leg ran from below his knee all the way up to his waist. The scar was a tragic reminder of what might have been. A lot of American fighters use their success in the Olympics to jumpstart their professional careers. Oscar de la Hoya, Roy Jones, Jr., and Floyd Mayweather are but a few of the American fighters who etched their names in the history books of both amateur and professional boxing.
David never had the chance to do the same.
?Seven months after the accident, I was back in training. I didn?t run or use the jump ropes because my leg was still killing me,? he shared. David had to undergo a medical test before his first professional fight. ?I had to hop on my bum leg fifty times. It was by far the most pain I?ve ever felt in my life,? David said. It may have been very painful but David hid his emotions brilliantly. He passed the test was cleared to fight.
?I just dragged my leg throughout the fight. I was at 50% capacity but I managed to get a draw,? he boasted. ?I didn?t really care if my leg was amputated right after the fight. I just needed to know what it?s like to be in the ring,? he added.
After the draw, David took time off to rest his leg. It was at this time when David made his way to the Wild Card Gym of Los Angeles. He asked Freddie Roach if he could spar with anyone. Freddie asked him how much he weighed. ?About a hundred and thirty,? David answered.
Freddie told David that he will be sparring with Manny Pacquiao. ?Manny Pacquiao the champion?,? David asked. Roach just smiled.
David was knocked down by Manny in their very first round of sparring. ?How many fights do you have?? asked Manny. ?One,? David replied. Manny apologized and told David that he would not have gone that far had he known that David was a beginner. The proud Mexican-American would have none of it. He wanted Manny to go all out against him. He wanted to prove to himself that he can hang out with the best fighters in the world.
It was the start of a friendship lasted until this moment. David has been sparring with Pacquiao for six years now. He?s been invited to Manny?s birthdays; he has met Manny?s kids.
?Being in the ring with the best fighter in the world is a great honor; however, as a fighter, I have to believe that I can beat him. You can never go into the ring without believing you will win,?
David looks up to Manny but he is not David?s favorite fighter. ?Diego Corrales is my main man. Until now I still wear camouflage shorts in all my fights as a tribute to him,? he said. David adored Corales so much that he will name his second son after him. ?I?ll name my third son Manny and my fourth son Freddie,? David shared.
David?s is a vital cog in Manny?s training. He can mimic the styles of other fighters which makes it easier for Manny to handle them come fight night. In Manny?s training camp for the fight against Shane Mosley, David spars with him and with Amir Khan on alternating days. As if that wasn?t hard enough, David spars with Amir as a lefty and he spars with Manny as a righty. His importance in the Manny?s camp cannot be stressed enough. He pushes Manny hard to be able to bring out the best in him.
I asked him what he gets in sparring with Pacquiao. ?Confidence,? he answered, ?when you hang out with the best fighter in the world, it makes you believe that you can handle anyone.?
?When I started boxing, I said to myself that I?ll quit when I have something to show for and I?ve done that. I have purchased a house with Manny?s help and when people ask me what I got from boxing, I?ll just point to my house,? he said. ?With Manny?s help?,? I asked. ?Yeah, he wrote me a check for the down payment of my house,? he answered.
?When you hear people say that Manny is good inside and outside the ring, you better believe them. I am living proof,? said David as he out on his head gear to prepare for two rounds in the ring the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
