Gabriel Rosado is having quite the year. In January, he took on veteran Jesus Soto-Karass and stopped him in the fifth round. Before that fight the battle tested Mexican had never been stopped, he had also never fought in Philly. That fight was Rosado’s first on the NBC Sports Network’s Fight Night series.
He returned to the series in June when he took on semi-last minute opponent Sechew Powell. Although Powell was touted as a tougher opponent than the originally scheduled Joel Julio, he proved no obstacle for “King” Gabriel, who put him out in the ninth round.
September brought a new challenge and a new reward. Rosado faced Charles Whittaker, again on the Fight Night series, and won, again by KO. This time coming with the win was a guaranteed title shot. Rosado was next in line to face Cornelius “K9” Bundrage for his IBF Light Middleweight Title, but plans have changed.
On January 19th in Madison Square Garden Rosado will face the undefeated 160lb WBA and IBO middleweight titleholder Gennady Golvokin. Moving up in weight, Rosado is taking on a challenge not many others want. Golvokin it said to be one of the most avoided fighters in the game, and while Rosado has somewhat of a reputation of being avoided himself he, believes there is always a fight to be made. “Boxing is a numbers game, if you give someone enough money they will want to fight,” he says of the risk involved of beating Golvokin and not being able to find a fight afterwards. Beating Golvokin is not a what if question for Rosado who boldly told us in an interview in New York this past Saturday “not if I beat him, When I beat him.”
Rosado did not have to make the move up to 160lbs, but with the advantages he holds over Golvokin (height, reach, etc.) he sees it as a bigger opportunity than a possible fight with 154 lb superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. “A lot of people don’t want to fight Golvokin, and Canelo hasn’t really fought a real 154 fighter.”
“I bring experience he (Golvokin) hasn’t faced as a professional,” says Rosado of his advantages over his next opponent as he continued “I don’t think he realized how big I am, I am basically a middleweight who can make Jr. middle, he means business, I mean business too.”
While there are some out there who doubt Rosado’s ability, and still justify it by referencing a KO loss to Alfredo Angulo early in his career, (a fight which Rosado took last minute, while sick by the way) I think there is a real chance for Rosado to take this one. Golvokin has not faced an opponent who can hit him hard enough to keep him honest, and as previously displayed this year on the Fight Night series; Rosado is the man for that job.
Rosado closed our interview by stating “I am going to shock the world.” And quite frankly, I hope he does.
You can follow Gabriel Rosado on twitter @KingGabRosado and the Author of this article @ThaBoxingDiva.