Francisco Rodríguez (boxer, born 1945)

This article is about the Venezuelan boxer. For the Mexican boxer, see Francisco Rodriguez (boxer, born 1984).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Brito.

Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Brito (20 September 1945 – 23 April 2024) was a Venezuelan boxer. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City he won the gold medal in the inaugural men's light flyweight (– 48 kg) division, in addition to claiming the gold at the 1967 and 1971 Pan American Games. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Rodríguez died on 23 April 2024, at the age of 78.

Francisco Rodríguez

Rodríguez in 1968
Personal information
Full name	Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Brito
Nickname	Morochito
Born	(1945-09-20)20 September 1945 Cumaná, Sucre, Venezuela
Died	23 April 2024(2024-04-23) (aged 78)
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	132 lb (60 kg)
Sport
Sport	Boxing
Weight class	Light Flyweight and Flyweight
Medal record Representing Venezuela Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City Light flyweight Pan American Games 1967 Winnipeg Flyweight 1971 Cali Flyweight

Amateur career

Rodriguez, nicknamed "Morochito", was Venezuela's first Olympic gold medalist, winning gold in the light flyweight division in its inaugural year of competition, 1968. His amateur record stood at 266 wins, 4 losses.

After the Olympics, Rodríguez signed a professional contract. Before fighting he took his mother to a pro bout. At one point, one of the boxers' bloody mouthpieces landed in Rodriguez's mother's lap. She begged Rodriguez to give up fighting and he cancelled his contract.

Olympic results

Mexico City – 1968

• Round of 32: bye
• Round of 16: Defeated Rafael Carbonell (Cuba) on points, 5-0
• Quarterfinal: Defeated Hatha Karunaratne (Ceylon) by a second-round TKO
• Semifinal: Defeated Harlan Marbley (United States) on points, 4-1
• Final: Defeated Jee Yong-Ju (South Korea) on points, 3-2 (won gold medal)

Munich – 1972

• Lost to Dennis Talbot (Australia) KO 2

Honors

Rodríguez was inducted into the Venezuelan Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

References

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Francisco Rodríguez". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008.