RODELA WINS A CLOSE ONE OVER KELLY
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 11 Oct 2008
Los Angeles, CA:- It was not pretty but a win is a win. For David Rodela, the affable kid from Oxnard called ?Peligroso?, that is exactly what happened.
Tonight at the Desert Diamond Casino in balmy Tucson, Arizona, Rodela was matched by the Golden Boy Promotions against an aging but wily veteran, Kevin Kelly.
Kelly, formerly of Flushing, New York and now a Las Vegas-based fighter is better known amongst Filipinos as a fourth round knock-out victim of Bobby Pacquiao. That occurred in New York last June 10, 2006.
The 8-round fight was so close leading up to the 7th round. It could have easily ended up the other way around if Rodela did not give the strong finish that he did in round 8.
In fact, while waiting for the verdict to be revealed, Rodela himself did not appear confident that he won, particularly after the score of the first judge was announced as 78-72 in favor of Kelly. He was seen shaking his head as if to say- ?well this one is not for me?.
However, when the scores of the other two judges ( 78-74 and 77-75) were announced and his name was called out as the winner by a split decision, Rodela leaped up to celebrate while flashing a huge smile that clearly showed the green colored mouthguard we humbly made for him. He then run to a neutral corner, got on the ropes and raise his hand in proud victory.
With his win over the aging veteran, Rodela improved to 11-1-2 (6K0) while the 41 year old Kelly fell to 60-9-2 (39KO).
Rodela, since becoming a sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao has become a darling of the Filipinos. In fact, his last fight was held at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel last August where he won via a 3rd round TKO over Arnel Porras.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
‘THE RING 6’ TEOFIMO LOPEZ VS. SHAKUR STEVENSON PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 30 Jan 2026NEWCASTLE PRESS CONFERENCE: WHAT WAS SAID AS JOSH KELLY AND BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV ARE KEPT APART AFTER HEATED FACE-OFF
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Flores vs. Castillo’ at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland
Fri, 30 Jan 2026WAPA Deportes Confirmed as Puerto Rican Broadcast Home for Saturday’s Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou Title Unification Showdown
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Legendary Panamanian Juan Carlos Tapia will be inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Promotions Announces Additional Matchups for Saturday, February 28 Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York
Fri, 30 Jan 2026SWERVE TV STRIKES MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS TO EXPAND PREMIUM BOXING CONTENT
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Leuenbergers to join IRONMAN® 70.3 Davao
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Open Workout: Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou Prepare For Saturday's Unification Showdown in Puerto Rico
Thu, 29 Jan 2026Cabrera-Zapata Kicks Off All Star Boxing's 2026 Season
Thu, 29 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Chess Philippines: Cash prizes, FIDE rating at stakes this Sunday
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 29 Jan 2026IBP Fun Run & Family Day on February 15
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 29 Jan 2026TEOFIMO LOPEZ AND SHAKUR STEVENSON FACE-OFF AT KNICKS GAME AS COUNTDOWN TO ‘THE RING 6’ ON SATURDAY BEGINS
Wed, 28 Jan 2026Davao to sponsor P500K in IRONMAN 70.3
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 28 Jan 2026JOSH KELLY SOUNDS WARNING TO WORLD TITLE RIVAL BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV AS HE TARGETS HISTORIC NORTH EAST HOMECOMING
Wed, 28 Jan 2026