By Jake Donovan

Gabriel Rosado needed a win in the worst way, but the timing of it actually happening couldn’t have been any better. The battle-tested boxer from Philadelphia managed a unanimous decision win over Joshua Clottey in their 10-round catchweight bout Saturday evening at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.

Many viewed the fight as an unofficial audition to gain consideration as a possible opponent for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who is eyeing a May 7 return for the first defense of his World middleweight crown. Clottey would have been an ideal candidate as a former titlist with an established name, but Rosado upset those plans in claiming victory in their HBO Latino-televised affair.

Heading into the fight, Rosado was less concerned with the idea of facing Alvarez – or any other middleweight – and more so with getting back in the win column for the first time since Sept. ’12. A five-fight winless streak in a boxing ring was followed by a win and a draw in the Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) circuit as well as a co-starring role in Creed the latest installment from the famed Rocky boxing movie series.

“I took this fight because I know the game is still in me, I have more left to offer boxing than what fans have seen of me in the past few years,” Rosado told BoxingScene.com. “We can talk about Canelo, (Miguel) Cotto and any other middleweight – but I need to win this fight in order for fans to once again get talking about Gabriel Rosado.”

Now that he has managed his first win in more than three years, the thought of taking on the biggest fight that can be made in the middleweight division seems like a nice option to have.

“It has been more than a year since I have been in the ring so I did feel a little I the rust but I feel like this fight really helped me shake it off,” Rosado (22-9, 13KOs) said after the fight. “I think that I delivered an entertaining fight tonight and I was happy with my performance. 

“I have great respect for Joshua Clottey, he is great fighter an African warrior.  I am ready for my next big challenge - I would like a shot at Canelo next.”

Rosado is one of many options being considered by the staff at Golden Boy Promotions, with plans of discussing with Alvarez – currently on vacation – after the holidays. Canelo returns on May 7th as part of Cinco De Mayo weekend.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox