Friends and Family Honor Boxer Paco Rodriguez

Chicago - Friends and family gathered on Chicago's West Side on Tuesday night to remember a boxer who gave life to others after his own death in the ring. Francisco "Paco" Rodriguez died of brain injuries after a championship fight in Philadelphia two years ago. His family donated his organs, saving the life of his uncle Ramone Tejada by giving him a kidney. The donations also saved the lives of four other strangers.

Holding a candle and a photograph of her husband, Sonia Rodriquez led her family on a procession through the Garfield Park Fieldhouse to the boxing ring where Paco Rodriguez first starting making a name for himself.

The 25 year old Chicago native came from a boxing family; his father trained him. Fellow boxers joined the family to pay tribute to his legacy as a giver of life, even in death.

"It's a difficult decision at the time you are asked but you also have to think about how he was. He was the type of person that was very giving," Sonia Rodriguez said. "And his decision was he wanted to be giving even after he was gone."

Earlier in the ceremony, Sonia and her 2-year-old daughter Ginette put the finishing touches on a floragraph of Paco. She will travel with his brother Alex to the Rose Bowl Parade and ride on the Donate Life float to honor him.

"It's like winning the championship belt for him," Alex Rodriguez said. "He won his championship belt without needing to throw a punch."

"He was a great boxer, a technician, but he also liked to give the crowds their money's worth and he would like to go in and bang it up once in a while," said boxing champion David Diaz.

To learn more about organ donation, please go to donatelife.net .