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By: Hans Themistode
There’s a look of determination in the eyes of Gabriel Rosado. It’s an expression he’s worn in the past but did little to nothing to influence the end results.
As the Philadelphia native patiently watches the clock tick by, he grows more and more excited as his middleweight showdown against highly ranked contender Jaime Munguia at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, approaches.
Despite his confidence, Rosado enters their showdown as a heavy underdog. Still, even with that being the case, his self-belief isn’t wavering.
“I will be successful,” said Rosado during an interview with Boxing Social. “I’m just looking forward to putting on a great performance and making history.”
Confidence, by and large, is something Rosado admits to struggling with throughout the course of his career. With several questionable decisions that have gone against him, Rosado believes he’s now turning a corner.
In November of 2020, Rosado marched into the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, to take on Daniel Jacobs. Like always, Rosado was a considerable underdog. Still, the now 35-year-old appeared to do just enough to eke out the win. However, Rosado was beside himself when Jacobs was announced as the winner.
Seven months later, Rosado walked into his showdown against the highly touted Bektemir Melikuziev as the proverbial sacrificial lamb. Though it appeared as though Rosado was on his way to another devastating loss, hitting the deck in the first round, he returned the favor tenfold, knocking Melikuziev out in the third.
With one of the biggest wins in his career firmly in his back pocket, Rosado’s confidence is now through the roof.
In Munguia, Rosado faces a former 154-pound belt holder who’s still attempting to carve out his own place in the boxing world. With three straight stoppage wins since moving up to 160 pounds in January of 2020, Munguia is on the cusp of a world title opportunity.
In terms of how they match up, Munguia appears to have several advantages including size, strength, and power. But while Munguia enters their contest as one of the more dangerous opponents Rosado has faced, the 35-year-old is uninterested in what his younger counterpart has up his sleeves. In the end, Rosado is simply of the belief that he’s idoneous to hand Munguia the first loss of his career.
“I don’t even care what he’s bringing. He’s gotta be worried about what I’m bringing to the table. I’m not focused on anything he’s capable of. I’m just ready to dominate and do what I got to do.”
