Former South American Heavyweight Champion Adilson Rodrigues Dies at 66 in Sao Paulo
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Sao, Paulo, Brazil (October 30th, 2024)– Adilson ‘Maguila’ Rodrigues, who held the South American Heavyweight championship between 1986 and 2000, who beat former World cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, but lost in the second round twice, to former World Heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield and George Foreman, has died in his native Sao, Paulo, Brazil at age 66 on October 24, 2024, of multiple health complications.
The best heavyweight boxer to come out of Brazil, during his professional career between 1983 and 2000, Rodrigues posted a record of 77 wins, seven losses and one draw, with 61 knockouts. Rodrigues debuted with a second round knockout of Jose Tavares in February 1983 in Sao Paulo, and at some point avenged two early losses to Walter Daniel Falconi and Andre van ten Oetelaar. Rodrigues won 10 round decisions over such former top ten contenders as James Bonecrusher Smith, Alfredo Evangelista and James Quick Tillis.
Rodrigues held the lesser known World Boxing Federation World Heavyweight title between 1995 and 1996, decisioning Johnny Nelson twice, and Dave Fiddler for that title. Rodrigues also won the International Boxing Federation Latin American heavyweight title, stopping Salvador Maciel in three rounds in 1996. The career of Rodrigues ended with a 10 round draw to Juan Antonio Diaz in 1999, and a fourth round knockout loss to Daniel Frank in 2000.
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