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By: Hans Themistode
Jeison Rosario didn’t seem to be anything special.
He began his career like any typical prospect. Meaning he ran right through lower level opposition. In his first official step up contest however, he was brutally knocked out by fringe contender Nathaniel Gallimore. Two fights later, Rosario would have to settle for a split draw against Mark Hernandez, further solidifying his spot on the bottom of the totem pole.
Yet with six straight wins under his belt, trainer Derrick James is noticing a pattern.
“He gets better and better with each fight,” said James during an interview with Fight Hub. “He’s put together some pretty good fights, he’s a tough guy, he’s a big guy and a big puncher.”
Rosario, 25, further cemented the thoughts of James in his last contest when the heavy underdog in Rosario walked into the backyard of then unified Jr middleweight champion Julian Williams and not only won the titles, but ripped them away from the lifeless body of the Philadelphia native as he was left slumped over the ropes in the fifth round.
“I watched that fight and I thought man, this guy is pretty good.”
Rosario may have upset the odds once this year, but bookies and wise guys aren’t expecting him to make them look silly two times in a row as he takes on a Derrick James led fighter in WBC Jr middleweight belt holder Jermell Charlo this Saturday night.
Something interesting has happened to the aforementioned Charlo. During the early portion of his career, judges knew his name quite well. Reason being is that most of his contest lasted until the final bell. Sure he had a bit of pop in his punches, but for the most part, he seemed more than content with out boxing his opponents.
Yet, the moment he won his world title in 2016, a light switch turned on for the Houston native. Whether he went the full 12 rounds or stopped his opponents in their tracks, he realized that his paycheck remained the same.
From there, he began leaving his opposition unconscious early and often.
Still, even with Charlo’s tendency of laying out his opponents, he may take a backseat to Rosario in terms of power. The Dominican Republic native has knocked out three of his past four opponents and 14 of his total 22 pro contests have ended in a Rosario stoppage win.
When questioned about his power, Charlo seemed both unimpressed and unconcerned. James on the other hand, has his antenna’s up.
“He’s a devastating puncher. He’s a very violent puncher. He punches with violent intent.”
The knockouts always get the most attention, but doing so will leave many to believe that he’s a one trick pony. Thankfully for Charlo however, James isn’t most people and he’s done a thorough background check on every skill that Rosario has in his arsenal.
“He’s patient and blocks shots, he’s also good at counter punching. He’s just a well rounded fighter. But the better the opposition is, the better Jermell is. But I’m sure Rosario is the same way. I think you could be possibly looking at fight of the year.”
