BILLINGS, Mont. — 15-year-old Billings native Taliyah Rodriguez might not look like the scariest teenager, but once she steps into the boxing ring, she’s a whole different breed. 

Rodriguez is a sophomore at Billings Senior High School, and she is a member of the Billings Elite Amateur Boxing Club.

Her journey began three years ago after the loss of her grandmother.

“I have been boxing for three years now, and what really got me into it was when my grandma passed away from stage 4 cancer around 2022-2023,” she said.

Three years later, the young teen has used her late grandmother’s memory to become a national boxing phenom.

Rodriguez is currently ranked No. 1 nationally at 132 lbs. and at 138 lbs., and she has plenty of national titles to prove it.

“I just won my sixth national title in Colorado Springs two weeks ago. I won my very first title at the 2024 Junior Olympics in Wichita, Kansas,” she added.

One of Taliyah’s many coaches is Stacy Limberhand, who also happens to be her aunt as well. 

Limberhand says her niece trains seven days a week whether it’s at the gym or on her own time.

“What sets Taliyah apart is, here you’ve got us in this little 406, where people still think we’re riding horses and buffalo in our yard. She is willing to go the extra mile, and she is willing to do extra on top of the extra,” said Limberhand.

Limberhand also adds that over the last three years, Rodriguez has met and drawn attention from several big names in the professional boxing world.

“You get pro boxers like Mikaela Mayer, like ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter, Rolly Romero, Curmel Moton, even the U.S. Olympic team who are recognizing boxers like her.”

Speaking of the U.S. Olympic team, that’s Rodriguez’s main goal for the future, as she hopes to make the team by 2028.

“The next few years, I see myself making the high-performance team for USA Boxing, and then eventually going to the Olympics in 2028 or 2032,” said Rodriguez.

And as her journey continues, her late grandmother’s memory will always live on.

“She’s been around me and has been right by my side my whole life. She’s my rock, and I really appreciated her being there for me.”

Taliyah Rodriguez — remember the name.