Rodriguez sitting pretty at 4-0

When the bell sounds, Juan Rodriguez runs across the boxing ring to meet his opponents more than halfway.

It seems to startle other fighters.

Rodriguez, of Haymarket, won his fourth professional bout Saturday at the Patriot Center in a fight against Damien Butler of Glenarden, Md.

Rodriguez, now 4-0, knocked out Butler 2 minutes and 10 seconds into the first round.

Both fighters came out strong with very little of the initial sizing up that generally characterizes the first round of a boxing match.

Rodriguez ably fended off Butler's best efforts; at the same time, he delivered a left uppercut that rocked Butler back on his heels.

The ring referee assessed Butler's condition and allowed the fight to continue. Butler returned to the fight only to take a left hook from Rodriguez that left him stunned and unresponsive.

The referee stopped the fight and gave the win to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who has never had to go more than two rounds in a fight and has knocked out all of his opponents, said the quick victory surprised him a bit.

"I didn't really think I had him because he was fighting with me on the inside. He was able to turn me. He was a really strong guy," the 19-year-old Rodriguez said.

"I expected him to box a little more," Rodriguez said of Butler, who came to the fight with a 0-2 record.

Rodriguez, who trains at Olympia Boxing Center in Falls Church, had knee surgery for a dislocated patella in August that kept him from training until January.

Saturday was his first opportunity to get back into the ring.

He said support from friends, family and coworkers got him through his recuperation.

"It was kind of hard seeing local fighters doing their thing and thinking, 'That could have been me,'" said Rodriguez, who does his road work on the gravel lanes of the Bull Run Mountains.

When this winter's heavy snows kept Rodriguez from running, his trainer, Jim Ed Jones, put Rodriguez in hiking boots and had him trudge through the snow in the mountains to get in shape.

Rodriguez said he had a bit of trepidation returning to the ring, but not enough to keep him out of the game.

"I was nervous because I was coming back, but I was confident because of the corner I had. We trained hard and I know my corner's not going to put me in the ring if I'm not in shape," he said.

Rodriguez said he wasn't going to rest on the victory or slow down much.

"Right now I'm not going to go out and celebrate. It's just one more win. I'm going to keep training for the future," he said.

Jones said it was hard to say what's next, but he would attend to Rodriguez' best interest.

At his age, Rodriguez has plenty of time to pick his battles, Jones said.

"When it's right, we'll be there," Jones said.

Manassas Bureau Chief Keith Walker can be reached at 703-368-6751.