Francisco Antonio Rodríguez Brito (20 September 1945 – 23 April 2024) was a Venezuelan boxer. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

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 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

and

1971 Pan American Games The 1971 Pan American Games, officially known as the VI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Cali 1971, were held in Cali, Colombia, from 30 July to 13 August 1971. (One source dates the Games from July 25 to August 8.) A total of 2,935 ...

. He carried the

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

for his native country at the opening ceremony at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, West Germany. Rodríguez died on 23 April 2024, at the age of 78.Falleció “Morochito” Rodríguez

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 Rafael Carbonell Carrion (born November 25, 1943, in Oriente Province, Oriente, Ciudad de la Habana) is a retired Boxing, boxer from Cuba, who represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1964. Carbonell won t ...

(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 Dennis Alan Talbot (born 18 April 1954) is an Australian former boxing, boxer. His boxing career started from Mudgee in June 1969 and went on for a period of 15 years. He retired in April 1984 after successfully defending his lightweight titl ...

(Australia) KO 2

Honors

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

References

External links

* * * 1945 births 2024 deaths Sportspeople from Cumaná Boxers at the 1967 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1971 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for Venezuela Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Venezuela Olympic gold medalists for Venezuela Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Venezuelan male boxers Pan American Games gold medalists in boxing Flyweight boxers Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games 20th-century Venezuelan sportsmen {{Venezuela-Olympic-medalist-stub