Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Brito (20 September 1945 - 23 April 2024) was a Venezuelan boxer. In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Brito. Rodriguez, nicknamed "Morochito", was Venezuela's first Olympic gold medalist, winning gold in the light flyweight division in its inaugural year of competition, 1968. 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.
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.
Francisco Rodríguez Jr.'s Professional Career
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodriguez and the second or maternal family name is Tamayo.
WBO Mini Flyweight Championship
Rodríguez Jr.'s 16-2 record earned Rodríguez Jr. the right to challenge the undefeated WBO mini flyweight champion Merlito Sabillo in what was the Sabillo's third title defense. The title bout was scheduled as the main event of a card which took place at the Monterrey Arena in Monterrey, Mexico on 22 March 2014. He won the fight by a tenth-round technical knockout. Rodríguez Jr. knocked Sabillo down with a flurry of punches as early as the second round and continued to dominate from that point on.
Read also: The rise of Cristelle Rodriguez
IBF Mini Flyweight Championship
Rodríguez Jr. faced the IBF mini flyweight champion Katsunari Takayama in a unification bout in his next professional appearance. The contest took place in the same venue as his previous title fight, the Monterrey Arena in Monterrey, Mexico, on 9 August 2014. It was broadcast by TV Azteca domestically and by beIN Sports in the United States. Rodríguez Jr. won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 119-108, 116-111 and 115-112.
Rodríguez Jr. vacated the IBF title on 1 October 2014 and the WBO title on 15 December 2014.
Francisco Rodriguez jr vs Katsunari Takayama 09 08 2014
Move to Flyweight
After vacating his IBF title, but before vacating the WBO title as well, Rodríguez Jr. moved up to flyweight in order to face the unheralded Jomar Fajardo. The bout was scheduled for the undercard of "Pinoy Pride 28", which was headlined by a light flyweight title bout between Donnie Nietes and Carlos Velarde, and which took place at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu City, Philippines on 15 November 2014. Fajardo stepped in as a late notice replacement for Virgilio Silvano. Despite coming into the fight as a significant favorite, Rodríguez failed to win the bout, as it ended in a split decision draw. An immediate rematch was booked for 31 January 2015. It took place at the Palenque de la Feria in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico.
Super Flyweight Division
After failing to capture the WBO flyweight title, Rodríguez Jr. moved up to super flyweight. He faced the former WBO light flyweight champion Ramón García Hirales, in his first fight at super flyweight, on 20 February 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 99-89, 99-88 and 96-91. Rodríguez Jr. next faced Johnny Michel Garcia in a tune-up fight on 23 July 2016. He won the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout. He was leading on all three of the judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.
Rodríguez Jr. was booked to face Crison Omayao on 29 October 2016, at the Palenque Vicente Fernandez in Gomez Palacio, Mexico. Rodríguez Jr. faced Hajime Nagai on 4 February 2017, in his first fight of the year. He won the fight by technical decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 50-43 in his favor. Rodríguez Jr. was next booked to face the undefeated Elias Joaquino on 12 August 2017. He won the fight by a seventh-round knockout, after having knocked Joaquino down once in the seventh round.
Read also: The Rise of Christian Rodriguez
Rodríguez Jr. faced the former WBA flyweight champion and one-time interim super flyweight title challenger Hernán Márquez on 20 October 2018. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Rodríguez knocked Márquez with a short left cross 30 seconds into the third round, which didn't leave his opponent visibly hurt as he was able to beat the ten-count. Rodríguez floored Márquez down with another left cross in the final minute of the round, which left him unable to rise from the canvas.
Following a third-round stoppage of William Riera on 26 October 2019, Rodríguez Jr. was booked to face Jose Maria Cardenas on 30 November 2019, with the vacant WBC Latino super flyweight title on the line. On 2 December 2020, it was revealed that Rodríguez Jr. would challenge the reigning WBC super flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez. After his second failed title bid, Rodríguez Jr. moved up to bantamweight. He faced Arnulfo Salvador Rodriguez on 14 January 2022. Rodríguez Jr. won the fight by a seventh-round technical knockout.
Rodríguez Jr. returned to super flyweight to face Erick Omar Lopez on 16 July 2022. Rodríguez Jr. faced the WBO flyweight champion Junto Nakatani in a super flyweight non-title bout on 1 November 2022, on the undercard of the Hiroto Kyoguchi and Kenshiro Teraji title unification bout. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 98-91, 97-92 and 99-90.
WBC Interim Flyweight Title
Rodríguez was in mandatory position to challenge British boxer Galal Yafai for his WBC interim flyweight title. Rodríguez became the new WBC interim champion after defeating Yafai via a lopsided unanimous decision. Rodríguez showed that his experience, toughness, and all-around ability was too much for Yafai. The scorecards read 119-108, 119-108, and 118-109 all in favour of Rodríguez. He applied a non-stop attack from the beginning, while Yafai was never allowed to get close to hurting him. Yafai showed a lot of heart to hear the final bell.
By mid fight, both boxers were cut around the eyes. Yafai was dropped in the seventh round, only for the referee to not call it a knockdown. it was evident from here that Yafai needed a stoppage, but he could not keep up with the pace Rodríguez had set. Prior to the ninth round, both men were checked over by the ringside doctor. Yafai was dropped in the twelfth round, but beat the count. His trainer Rob McCracken had the towel in his hands from this point, but allowed his boxer to hear the final bell. Rodríguez threw over 1000 punches, landing over half of them.
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On 25 October 2025, Rodríguez defeated Jesus Faro (17-11, 12 KOs) by TKO in the second round.
Drug Test Controversy
Following his victory over Galal Yafai, Rodríguez faced controversy due to an adverse finding from an anti-doping test. The WBC ordered a rematch, but later reinstated Yafai as the interim champion. It was revealed that Rodríguez had failed a drug test in America prior to the positive test against Yafai.
Summary of Title Bouts
| Title | Opponent | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBO Mini Flyweight Championship | Merlito Sabillo | March 22, 2014 | Won by TKO |
| IBF Mini Flyweight Championship | Katsunari Takayama | August 9, 2014 | Won by UD |
| WBC Interim Flyweight Title | Galal Yafai | June 21, 2025 | Won by UD |