From East Salinas to the Boxing Ring: The Rodriguez Duo Story

Growing Up in East Salinas

Andres Rodriguez Sr. is no stranger to tough times. Growing up fighting adversity in the mean streets of East Salinas, California in the 90s, Andres knows just how influential peer pressure and negativity can be. From the pull of the streets to the influence of friends and family, Andres learned just how important it is to stand apart from the crowd.

“Everybody wants to be accepted, everybody wants to be a part of something, and you feel left out when you’re not.”

Drew’s Journey Back to Boxing

For his son Drew, the pressure of his peers was just as powerful three decades later during his journey to greatness. Despite growing up in the gym, Drew started to feel the draw of his friends and the possibility of living life as a normal kid. After a three-year break away from boxing, Drew made the right but difficult decision to return to the sport before his time was up.

For Andres, the ability to shepherd his son away from negative influences came from his own experiences growing up in East Salinas.

“I had just gone through it myself; I went through all this S***. I did all this time so that my kids won’t have to do it.”

From Father to Coach

Rodriguez Sr. is constantly flipping the switch between father and coach. From an early age, Andres could see the potential in his son’s athletic ability and has spent decades developing Drew as both a fighter and a man.

“It’s hard for me to turn off that switch and I have to because we’ll bump heads in the ring, and then we have to ride back home together in the car, and it’ll be dead silence.”

When reminiscing on Drew’s first professional bout in Tijuana, Mexico, Andres spoke about feeling both excited and nervous. He says it’s all about finding that balance between being supportive as a coach and nervous as the father of a son in a combat sport.

Andres knows just how important his relationship with his son is. When asked about the difficult job of being both his father and his coach, Andres didn’t hesitate to admit that he would rather lose Drew as a fighter and not as his son.

Love at First Sight

From the age of seven, when he put on his first pair of hand wraps, Drew knew boxing was his passion. After his first training session, Drew knew that boxing would consume his life and provide the path for him to reach his dreams.

“From a young age, I always knew that this is something I was going to do.”

From that first fateful sparring session at 8 years old, Drew continues to train and fight with his dad in his corner. Andres and Drew’s journey shows us all just how powerful the love between a father and son can be when it comes to chasing your dreams.