There are a lot of jobs that you can land when you're into sports. You can be a coach or a trainer. But the toughest job that you can acquire when getting into sports is becoming a sparring partner. Among the most sought after sparring partner in the world of boxing, David Rodela is on top of that list.
For the past ten years, the 31 year old Rodela has happily strapped on his gloves and headgear, routinely preparing the fight of his life. He has been a sparring partner of most of the notable boxers in the industry which includes Manny Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito, Victor Ortiz, Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton and many more.
Among those fighters, Pacquiao in particular has been using Rodela as a sparring partner when he has an upcoming match because the champ believes that Rodela has the stamina, durability and the ability to copy the technique and style of an opponent.
According to Rodela "I take a lot of pride in what I've accomplished. "I didn't win a world championship, but I think I've made an impact in the sport of boxing. Everyone knows who Muhammad Ali is. Who wouldn't want to say he helped Muhammad Ali become a champion? I've done that except it isn't Muhammad Ali. It's Manny Pacquiao, the Muhammad Ali of my era. Other people might be like, 'Dude, that's what you want?' Well, in my book, I'm happy with that."
Rodela has been beaten and broken some bones because of the nature of his work. But what really consumes most of his time is the need to study the moves of upcoming opponents on their previous games. It is because of this that Rodela feels like he has lost his won identity as boxer. According to his trainer Joseph "Hoss" Janik ""His ability to imitate a lot of styles is kind of a blessing and a curse in some ways. He's not really sure who he is as a fighter anymore. Talent-wise, he's probably one of the top two or three talents I've worked with in my career, but it has helped him more with his sparring than it has translated into his fighting career. Deep inside, he probably wishes he'd focused a little more on himself."
Although he has been through a lot of bruising, nothing can seem to stop Rodela in doing what he is happily doing for years now.