Heavy Handed Hitter-The Tooth Punctured The Glove

Texas Heavyweight Champion David Rodriguez punched veteran Robert Davis so hard Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico that he injured himself.

Rodriguez, who improved to 32-0 with 30 knockouts, was rushed to the hospital after registering an exciting third-round knockout over Davis .

The injury? A bizarre inch-and-a-half gash near the index finger of his left knuckle. The cause? Davis’s tooth, which punctured Rodriguez's  glove, handwrap and skin and produced a grotesque injury that will sideline “Niño” for at least a month.

How’s that for a slicing left hook?

“I didn’t know my hand was messed up – and that he was missing a tooth — until after the fight,” Rodriguez said.

The El Paso fighter, ranked No. 13 by the WBA, sustained the freak injury in the first round.

“When I went back to my corner, I could feel that my energy was sapped,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t feel right. Something was wrong. It felt
like someone was pouring warm water down my glove. Later, blood was dripping down my forearm.”

Despite his sudden weakness, Rodriguez showed guts in winning every round against Davis in a thrilling fight that had 10,000 in Monterrey
on its collective feet.

It wasn’t until after Rodriguez’s victory that the El Pasoan and his team noticed the cut.

“It was a deep gash,” Rodriguez said. “It’s amazing that it didn’t hit any tendons. It was bleeding profusely.”

The handwraps – soaked in blood – were kept by the fighter as a souvenir.

He was also issued a Tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics, as such injuries can be dangerous. Former heavyweight champion
Evander Holyfield was also given a Tetanus shot after Mike Tyson bit his ear in their infamous 1997 title fight.

“Any more rounds, and it could have been bad,” he said.

Rodriguez will be out of action for at least 25 days, though he is hoping to fight again before the end of the year.