Heavyweight boxer who was bullied growing up now advocates for bullied kids

Retired boxer David Rodriguez joined Tuesday’s “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” to talk about his  brush with death, his new book, and his reasons for supporting President Donald Trump.

Rodriguez, who once had a perfect boxing record of 36-0, shared his realization that being bullied as a kid led to his boxing career. His new book, “When the Lights Go Out: From Survivor to Champion,” is the “in-depth story of how I went through those trials and tribulations,” he said.

Formerly a champion boxer, Rodriguez has faced incredible ups and downs during his life. As a child, he endured bullying, something that inspired him to become an advocate for bullied kids. In 2011, Rodriguez was knifed in the face outside a bar, a murder attempt that left him with hundreds of stitches and a permanent scar. “When the Lights Go Out” was written during one of his low points, while he was in bed after back surgery following an injury sustained after a knockout round that he had won.

“I wrote the book on a cathartic level. … I was laying in the hospital, and I knew my career was over, and I just started writing on my iPhone,” Rodriguez described the writing process to Doc. “I wrote the whole book within a month on my iPhone.”

A self-described early Trump supporter, Rodriguez also talked about why the election of President Donald Trump gave him hope.

To see more from Doc, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” weekdays 6–9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.