Airlines flight 202 from Miami to Dallas, Texas, when that flight got hijacked and taken to Cuba on July 24, 1961. Rodriguez was fearful for his life since he had escaped from Cuba recently. However, Cuban authorities allowed the plane and its passengers to return to the United States without further incident. Rodriguez was on his way to a fight versus Curtis Cokes, which he eventually lost by split decision some days later, on August 3. Professional boxing record See also List of world welterweight boxing champions References External links 1937 births 1996 deaths Cuban male boxers Cuban people of African descent Sportspeople from Camagüey World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions Welterweight boxers Middleweight boxers World welterweight boxing champions International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees