How boxing's 'Hammer Hands' carries North Jersey grit into Vegas fight
Julian Rodriguez credits his 'North Jersey attitude' for a mindset that has helped him deal with ups and downs of a boxing career that's soaring again.
The best nicknames in sports are those that are earned, not solely given. Julian Rodriguez was fighting bigger kids as a precocious 8-year-old at the Joe Grier Boxing Academy in Paterson and more than holding his own when his stepfather offered up a moniker that has stuck for more than two decades. Hammer Hands.
With an inspirational nod to former world champion "Hands of Stone" Roberto Duran, Rodriguez went on to back up his reputation at a young age with a punishing combination of power and precision. "You gotta ask my opponents," Rodriguez said with a laugh, asked by NorthJersey. com and The Record in a recent phone interview if the Hammer Hands nickname fits.
"I think they'll tell you how legit it is. " Rodriguez credits his "North Jersey attitude" for developing the mindset that has helped deal with ups and downs of a boxing career that's soaring again after a two-year layoff during which he fought injury, depression and uncertainly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Julian Rodriguez vs.
James Perella in Vegas on Sunday This Sunday night, the 31-year-old Rodriguez will fight for the second time under the Zuffa Boxing banner in Las Vegas as part of a co-main event against Massachusetts native James Perella. The event, which features Shane Mosley Jr. as the headliner, will be streamed live on Paramount+ beginning at 9 p.
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