HOW TO WATCH BOXING
observes that a cutman has two main responsibilities – working proactively and reactively. Most following corner work on television observe a cutman’s reactive work: A cut is bad and there’s a lot of work to be done to stem the bleeding. But just as vital can be the proactive work that a cutman does on a fighter’s face rounds before an issue develops. It’s often the proactive work that can reduce cuts or swelling later in fights. “I worked Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s corner when he fought Canelo [Alvarez],” said Rodriguez. “I was working with Nacho Beristain, a great trainer, but we didn’t know each other well. Now, Chavez got hit with 400 or so punches in that fight. I went into the corner to work on Chavez early in that fight. Nacho kind of looked at me like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘You don’t understand. In three or four more rounds, this is going to be a big problem. This guy is taking 60, 70 punches a
round. [Editor’s note: Canelo threw an average of 51 punches per round and landed an average of 38%.] His face is not going to hold up.’ So I went to work on it, and it never became a problem. And I received a lot of positive texts from some of the great cutmen in the sport after that fight. Of all the big fights I’ve worked, I may be most proud of that, because I never let that become an issue.” A cutman only has three approved medicines in most boxing jurisdictions to work cuts: adrenaline, thrombin and Avitene. Adrenaline, also referred to as epinephrine, stops bleeding, while thrombin and Avitene are used to help with clotting, especially for larger cuts. In Rodriguez’s estimation, even the best cutmen will use adrenaline 95% of
the time. Part of that is due to cost. A bottle of Avitene can be cost-prohibitive for many cutmen. Even a bottle of adrenaline can cost over $300. And it’s the cutman’s responsibility to procure his medicines. It’s certainly possible that a cutman can actually lose money on a fight. But Rodriguez, a United States Air Force veteran and Los Angeles County homicide detective, doesn’t believe in cutting corners. “I might be one of the only people using Avitene, because for a little three- or four-inch sponge, it’s like $1,200,” said Rodriguez. “But I look at it this way: When I’m working multimillion- dollar fights, and millions of people are watching, my reputation is on the line. So I invest in [Avitene], and it’s stopped some major cuts over the years.” One example that illustrates the importance of preparation is the 2016 junior lightweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido, which won the Ring Magazine Fight
of the Year award. Rodriguez, working Vargas’ corner, had to deal with three cuts throughout the fight, one on the nose and one over each eye. Vargas, a notorious bleeder, was in trouble as early as the third round, but Rodriguez was able to keep the cuts under control enough for him to finish the fight. The fight was ruled a draw, and Vargas was able to retain his title, with Rodriguez playing his part in the corner. “Leading up to Vargas-Salido,” said Rodriguez, “I had nightmares a few days before the fight. I had a dream that I ran out of cut medicine, but all I had left was cake frosting. Don’t ask me where the cake frosting came from! In truth, if that fight had gone one more round, I would have run out of everything I brought with me. I literally ran out of fight medicine that night.” Rodriguez suggests a few other things to look for when observing cutmen. Anyone that uses basic Q-tips on bigger cuts isn’t working at the highest level of the profession; Rodriguez always brings multiple types of cotton swabs for a fight, including bigger ones for the nose and mouth. In addition, Rodriguez is looking at how cutmen apply ice and Vaseline. Often the top cutmen have multiple types of enswells (the small, iron-looking metal devices that are kept on ice for cutmen to apply directly to a fighter’s facial swelling) to apply pressure: larger ones for higher-weight fighters (they have bigger faces) and smaller ones for the lighter weights. Rodriguez likens the cutman’s job to working the pit in an auto race. “You’re like a NASCAR pit man,” he said. “You only have a certain amount of time. And if your job is to change the tires, you have to be an expert in doing that. Everyone has to be an all-star in their position, including the fighter, in how they react to the trauma…you may only get a few seconds to work a cut, especially in the nose and mouth, and you have to get it right.”
Mike Rodriguez attends to Katie Taylor during Taylor’s rematch with Amanda Serrano.
Concept in Practice: Taylor-Serrano 2 The 2024 rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano featured lots of blood. Similar to their first fight, the second one contained numerous head clashes (Taylor was docked a point in the rematch for head butts). Early in the fight, Serrano was cut on the outside of her right eye. By the sixth round, the blood was gushing, both in and around the eye. Cutman Mike Bazzel was working Serrano’s corner, helping to control the blood and keeping her in the fight. Fellow cutman Rodriguez (who worked Taylor’s corner in the bout) thought that Bazzel’s work was among the best that he’s seen during his time in the sport. “Bazzel really kept her in the fight,” said Rodriguez, “because that was a deep gash that he had to maintain over numerous championship rounds. I still remember hearing the thousands of people groaning when they showed him working on the cut on the jumbo video screens in the arena. “When I watched the replay of the fight afterward, you could really see the severity of the cut and the great work that he did in utilizing all the tools of the trade to keep his fighter in the fight. His use of the approved cut medicines and the proper use of direct pressure, along with the calmness he showed in a very stressful environment, was outstanding. It was world-class work.” Although Serrano would lose a nail-biter of a decision, 95-94 on all three cards, Bazzel’s work helped her stay in the fight. Taylor-Serrano 2 is on the short list of the best of women’s boxing over the last decade, and Bazzel played a huge role in letting the fight progress toward its natural conclusion. His work helped to cement an unforgettable evening.
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