Some fights end at the sound of the final bell, but true legacies never leave the ring. Long before Rodriguez Boxing Club became a boxing institution, Alfonso “Al” Rodriguez, the gym’s founder and a leader in the Valley’s boxing community, was training his children in an improvised gym at his home.
Rodriguez died July 6, 2026, at 79, leaving behind a legacy built over more than six decades of service, discipline and commitment to his community. Now, his family is working to keep the mission he started alive.
What started as a family ******* e eventually grew into a refuge for generations of young people and a highly respected boxing gym in Phoenix.
Today, Rodriguez Boxing Club stands as a historic, family-run nonprofit gym in the heart of the Valley. Founded in 1961, the gym provides accessible training and personalized mentorship for everyone from beginners to professional boxers.
Al and his wife, Carmen Rodriguez, both natives of Texas, settled in Arizona and had five children: Al Rodriguez Jr., better known as “Al Baby Rodriguez,” who died during the COVID-19 pandemic; Carolina Olmos; Ofelia Hooper; Fernando Rodriguez; and Seferino “Sefe” Rodriguez.