Edwin Rodriguez: “I know Adonis Stevenson brings real power, I’m aware of it, I’m not just going to rush in there and try to go crazy”

Edwin Rodriguez is a ranked light heavyweight contender who coming off an exciting fight against undefeated contender Michael Seals. Rodriguez, now 30, came off the canvas to win the fight and during this interview, Edwin speaks on overcoming the knockdowns and coming away with the win. Rodriguez also talks about his future and a possible fight with Adonis Stevenson. Additionally, Edwin shares his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao’s final bout and talks about his goals for 2016. Here is what Edwin Rodriguez had to say.

Jenna J: You are coming off of an exciting performance over Michael Seals in which you came out with a knockout victory. Can you talk about the crazy first round that you had?

Edwin Rodriguez: I came at him a little too fast and I ended up putting him down. I came out and tried to finish him and you know he can pack a punch. I ran into his right hand, got up, went back down at the end of the first rounds. What a round.

It was not the type of round that I was expecting to have but I went down and I had to get up from the floor twice to be able to come back and put him away. It took a lot of heart, will and determination to be able to get off the floor and beat Michael Seals the way I did it. I don’t know how I did it but I did.

Jenna J: You ended up knocking him out in the third round, you landed a terrific shot that had him struggling to get off of the canvas. Did you know the fight was over when you saw him on the canvas?

Edwin Rodriguez: I knew the fight was over when I landed the punch. I didn’t even have to look at him, I knew he was going down. When I landed the right hand, I landed right on the button and I just felt it. It’s like when you hit a home run and you just walk it off, it was the same type of feeling, I just knew he was gone. I knew he was done and I just walked away like a boss.

Jenna J: Now that you have that victory, what do you want to do next? Do you want to take a rematch or do you just want to move forward and see what’s next?

Edwin Rodriguez: Honestly, I want to rest. It was a tough fight for both of us. I’m okay with a rematch, I would love to fight him again. It was a great fight, the fans loved it and if they want it again, I’ll do it again. It is what it is, I’m not sure if he wants it but we’ll see what Al Haymon and Lou Dibella have in store for me. If they bring that fight up, I’m all about it, why not?

Jenna J: Adonis Stevenson currently holds the light heavyweight title, if the opportunity came about, would you be willing to fight Stevenson or do you want more fights in the division?

Edwin Rodriguez: This is the fight I’ve been working for. I feel like I’ve been ready for a fighter like Adonis Stevenson for a while now. Adonis being such a big puncher, a lot of people are going to say, “He got put down by Michael Seals and Adonis Stevenson is a bigger puncher. He may not be ready.” I’m ready, I feel that I’m ready.

With Seals, I wasn’t prepared and I didn’t know he would bring that type of power. He was knocking a lot of people out but to be quite frank, the opposition that he was fighting wasn’t at my level, so I didn’t take his power serious and I learned the hard way.

With Adonis Stevenson I know he brings real power, I’m aware of it, I’m not just going to rush in there and try to go crazy like I did with Seals. But it’s a whole different fight with Stevenson, knowing that he has legit power because with Seals it was questionable, but it’s not a question anymore.

Jenna J: If you get a shot with Stevenson, you probably will have to fight in Canada. Would that change the way you go about the fight at all, knowing that you have to go in there for a knockout to get the call?

Edwin Rodriguez: I don’t feel like I need to get a knockout but I feel like I have to convincingly win. I can’t let it be a close fight, close fights go to the champion, especially when the champion is in his hometown. He’s the champ, if you’re willing to take his belt, you have to be willing to travel.

Jenna J: Looking back at your fight with Andre Ward, is there anything you would do different with your approach in that fight?

Edwin Rodriguez: Yeah, no fight him at 168lbs, try to get it a little higher. I’m a whole different fighter, I was young, I was so hungry that I fought reckless and stupid. I learned a lot from that fight, Andre Ward was a really smart fighter.

I definitely have become a better fighter because of that fight and I’m gonna continue to improve and when I do fight him, I have to fight him different because only the first round was competitive but then after that, I died down. I have to come up with a whole different game plan and put it together.

Jenna J: I want to get your views on Pacquiao’s last bout which will be in April. They are talking about the opponent maybe being Amir Khan. What do you think of the career Pacquiao has had and how do you think he would do with Amir Khan?

Edwin Rodriguez: I think that Manny Pacquiao is really explosive and strong. I think that Amir Khan is a good fighter but his weakness is his jaw, and I think that Manny Pacquiao’s speed and explosiveness will be able to find the jaw and win by TKO or knockout. I wish that Crawford gets the opportunity to put Pacquiao away and have the next generation of boxing take over.

Jenna J: Back to your career. How soon do you see yourself stepping back into the ring?

Edwin Rodriguez: I had MRI’s after a fight like that and everything came back good and normal. I’m gonna take the rest of this year off and start training again and getting ready to maybe get back sometime in February or March.

Jenna J: Do you think you will get a title shot in your next fight or do you think it will happen sometime in 2016?

Edwin Rodriguez: I’m hoping it’s my next fight in the beginning of 2016, if it’s not, the one after. I want it as soon as possible but you never know in boxing. I’ll just be working to be ready for whenever I get the call.