By Jake Donovan

Minutes into his fourth fight of 2012, Marco Antonio Rubio thought that he finally in for an early night’s work. The middleweight contender dropped Michel Rosales in the opening round of their Televisa-televised headliner Saturday evening in Morelia, Mexico.

A part of Rubio wished that his opponent just took the ten count – the knockdown blow was that devastating. Instead, Rosales rose to his feet and attempted to make a fight of it before being stopped in the 11th round.

“I knocked down Rosales in the first round; I thought he wasn’t getting up, but he did and made a great fight,” Rubio told Boxingscene.com after improving to 55-6-1 (49KO). “I knew that Rosales would be tough because he trained with Nacho Beristain. That’s a guarantee of excellent preparation.”

A press release during the build-up to this fight stated Beristain’s belief that Rosales would follow in the footsteps of star pupil Juan Manuel Marquez, who scored the year’s most celebrated win in his 6th round knockout of Manny Pacquiao earlier in the month.

Rosales soon learned that there’s only one Juan Manuel Marquez when it comes to boxing greatness. Sharing the same trainer doesn’t always pass along the same magic, and the fringe contender’s ill-advised move to middleweight (actually 161 lb., the contracted weight for the fight) proved futile.

The win marks Rubio’s third straight knockout, all of which have come in the past six months. A loss to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier in the year left the longtime contender dejected, though he has quickly bounced back and now seeks a third title shot that will lead to his first title win.

“My punching power is here waiting for anyone,” Rubio insists. “Bring on Peter Quillin, Sergio Martinez, a rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Gennady Golovkin. Anyone – I’m ready.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox