Madison Boxing Gym - SunnySlope, Phoenix, AZ
(602) 464 - 7770
Championship Boxing
Madison
Boxing
Gym
Olympic Boxing
Training
Madison Boxing History
My uncle, Alfonso Rodriguez, was in a wheelchair. He played craps and was a pool shark. He bought my dad his first magazines—Ring Magazine—to teach him how to box, to work on his footwork, and to throw his jab. From there, my dad won the National Golden Gloves and went on to become a professional boxer with a record of 17 wins, zero losses, and 12 knockouts.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo
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My father and my wife kept a secret from me for quite a while, knowing that Mike Tyson was going to come to our gym at Madison Square Garden. He showed up at our gym in 1998 and stayed with us until 2000. He trained there, and his last fight was against Francisco Botha, whom Mike Tyson knocked out. Mike Tyson was a great man in our community. He helped out by buying turkeys and Christmas presents for the kids. He was not only a legend in the sport of boxing but also a great man off the streets—a true community leader. That was Mike Tyson. We named the gym after him, and it was called Mike Tyson and Ricky Ricardo’s Boxing Gym.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo
Oscar De La Hoya came to our gym when he was 19 years old. He was on his way to Barcelona to represent the United States in the Olympics. While there, he fought for the gold medal—and won it. After that, he came back to Arizona. The picture you see was taken during the second fight of his professional career. In that fight, he got knocked down, got back up, and won by knockout. Oscar was at our gym back in 1992 before going on to the Olympics and winning the gold medal. He later became a six-time world champion—an unbelievable legend. Today, he’s a major promoter with Golden Boy Promotions. I’m very proud of Oscar for being in our gym and watching him become who he is today. I’m honored to have had him train with us. That’s who Oscar De La Hoya is—a great champion.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo
In 1996, Yvonne Trevino came to me for training. I trained her so well that she went on to become the IBF Champion of the World in 1997. We fought on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, where she knocked her opponent out in one minute and thirty seconds of the first round. Her opponent was trained by Tommy Morrison, who was a world champion himself. His fighter was just a Golden Gloves State Champion, and I was proud that we beat her. Yvonne is now retired and has been inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo
I started boxing at nine, training at Uncle Rodriguez’s Club SAR in Scottsdale, Arizona. After a break, I returned at 15 with Michael Frank Vega Rodriguez and my father, Richard Vega Rodriguez, who pushed me to become a Golden Gloves State Champion in both Novice and Open divisions. I won the Golden Gloves in Las Vegas, knocking out George Foreman’s fighter in the second round, and did it again in a Phoenix rematch.
I planned to turn pro but chose a stable job instead. For the past 32 years, I’ve given back to boxing—training Olympic medalists, world champions, and four-time WBC continental champions.
Now, I’m working to create another world champion with Kingsley Ibeh. He came to sell me life insurance, and I turned him into a fighter. A former NFL player for the Phoenix Cardinals, he’s now ranked sixth in the U.S. heavyweight division. After six years of hard work, we’ll fight at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2026—a dream come true for any trainer and boxer. God bless us both. One love.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo
Floyd Mayweather came to our gym in 1998 while preparing to fight Diego Corrales. He trained at Madison Square Garden Boxing Gym with his uncle Roger—an incredible trainer and fighter, just like Floyd and his father. It was an honor to have three world champions in our gym. Floyd also supported our Junior Olympics program, providing jackets, T-shirts, and funding trips to Las Vegas for the kids. I’ll never forget his generosity and the impact he made on our community. Thank you, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather—a true legend.
- Coach Ricky Ricardo