KURT SCOBY has come a long way to get where he is now. So it would be dangerous to doubt his ability to come back from his first career loss and climb into contention in the junior welterweight division.
Scoby will be taking on ANDREW RODGERS in the eight-round main event as part of “Holiday Fight Night 3,” taking place at Sony Hall in Manhattan on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17. It’s brought to you by BOXING INSIDER PROMOTIONS and televised live on DAZN, the leader in live streamed boxing.
Scoby had a rough upbringing, so in a sense he’s been fighting since an early age. He has the subject of abuse in the home, found himself in foster care, and ultimately lived in fourteen different places before his early adulthood.
He was fortunate enough to be an outstanding athlete at Monrovia (California) High School, and was a star on the football team. A running back, his numbers were other-worldly as a senior, as he not only averaged 13.5 yards a carry, but also scored 35 touchdowns.
He accepted an athletic scholarship from Fresno State, and then, seeking more of an opportunity to play, he transferred to Azusa Pacific, a Division II school which has since discontinued its football program. But in three years of activity he had ober 2700 rushing yards.
There was something else Scoby was doing aside from football. That was boxing, and he wasn’t just some football player who also decided to box. He won a California Golden Gloves championship and compiled over 150 bouts in the non-paid ranks.
To propel himself into an opportunity to fight as a pro, Scoby moved himself from one coast to the other, landing in New York during the pandemic and situating himself at the famous Gleason’s Gym, where he worked under the watchful eye of Don Saxby.
His professional debut came in September 2020 with a first-round TKO over Pablo Luna. Scoby got into the habit of simply mowing opponents down. And he exceeded expactations; his February 2023 fight with John Mannu (7-0-1) on Showtime figured to be something that extended him, but that was not the case, as he recoreded four knockdowns in two rounds and ended it.
Last June he came to Sony Hall to face Hank Lundy, who at one time had challenged Terence Crawford in a world title fight. Lundy didn’t know what hit him, as Scoby took him out in the second round.
This past April disaster hit, as Dakota Linger, who is no stranger to upsets, stopped Scoby in six rounds of a scheduled eight. He came back three months later at the same venue – the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta – to knock out Daniel Lim (11-1) in one round.
Last time out Scoby stopped Ramiro Hernan Martinez. That was on October 5, and brought his record to 15-1 with 13 knockouts.
Scoby’s opponent on December 17 is ANDREW RODGERS, who has been well-traveled to say the least. Rodgers (9-15-3, 3 KO’s), hails from Elkhart, IN, known as the “RV Capital of the World.” And he won the first four fights of his pro career, beginning with a four-round decision over Jeff Camp in June 2015.
Rodgers lost a four-round split decision to Daywuan Roseberry in September 2016. That took place in his hometown, but the pattern for him has been to go into other people’s hometowns. And the results haven’t always been so bad. Among the notable people he’s fought are Josue Vargas, Gary Antuanne Russell, Kenneth Sims Jr., Raul Curiel and others that include Albert “Prince” Bell, a #1 world contender who’s 26-0 now, and whose four-round decision win was changed to a no-contest over a protest about the number of rounds being changed.
Rodgers is also very much in favor of doing what he can to cross up the opposition, which is what he did gainst the 8-0 Alfredo Escarcega in September 2019. Escarcega is a southpaw, and Rodgers came out as a southpaw himself, doing well enough to manage an eight-round draw.
The fighters Rodgers has lost to have a combined record of 139-8-4.
Rodgers is an upset-minded individual indeed. He has scored some wins over opponents with very good records, such as Julian Rodarte (19-1-2), Thomas Velasquez (10-1-1), Greg Outlaw (8-0) and the late Samuel “Tsunami Sam” Teah, former USBA champion who was shot to death a year ago in Wilmington, Delaware. He stopped Teah in the eighth round.
The 32-year-old is coming off three straight losses, against opponents with a combined mark of 32-1-1. he just fought on December 3, losing a six-round majority decision to Nikolay Shvab.
Rodgers is kind of awkward, and in that way, troublesome. And that is the kind of thing that Kurt Scoby has to be very aware of.
Tickets for the December 17 show at Sony Hall are priced at $110, $160, $215 and $350 (front row), and may be purchased online at https://www.ticketweb.com/event/boxing-insider-fight-night-sony-hall-tickets/14011593.
Sony Hall is located at the bottom of the Paramount Hotel Times Square, 235 W 46th Street.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET with the first bout at 7:30 p.m. ET.
