By Ryan Songalia
It’s not uncommon for fighters nowadays to have two fights lined up, although only one of Philadelphia junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado’s upcoming battles are listed on Boxrec.
The 25-year-old Rosado (17-5, 10 KO) will face fellow Pennsylvania resident Keenan Collins (13-6-2, 9 KO) tonight in a ten-round bout at The Arena in Philadelphia, which will headline Solo Boxeo (Telefutura, 11:30 ET/PT).
The other fight, not televised, will be in an Atlantic County Superior Court. The court appearance, scheduled for October 3, is the result of a July 18 arrest in which Rosado and five others are alleged to have punched police officer Franco Sydnor, just hours after Rosado knocked out Ayi Bruce in five rounds at Bally’s Atlantic City.
Rosado, who has no prior criminal record, declined comment on the particulars of the case on the advice of his lawyer Joseph Levin, but maintains his innocence.
“I can’t wait for this to be in my past,” said Rosado, whose mother is a pastor at the Bethel United Church of Christ in the Olney section of Philadelphia. “Those who know me know I’m a family man. I have a two year old girl.”
Despite the issues that hang over his head, Rosado says training hasn’t been affected, adding “I’m a professional and I’m always training.” And though he isn’t familiar with Collins, Rosado said he’s ready to perform as usual.
Rosado’s career has been up-and-down, with each of his two eye-catching victories (a unanimous decision win over 15-0 James Moore in 2008 and a split decision win over former junior middleweight champ Kassim Ouma in 2009) preceding defeats to undefeated fighters.
His career started modestly after a very brief 14-3 amateur career, winning his first five before losing 2 of 3 to Joshua Onyango and spoiler Chris Gray. His other losses have come to Alfredo Angulo, Fernando Guerrero and Derek Ennis.
Rosado has now run up three consecutive victories since dropping a majority decision to fellow Philly favorite Ennis in his only fight at middleweight. He claims his experience has prepared him to be a more consistent fighter than he was previously.
“I wouldn’t change it,” Rosado says of his early tough matchmaking. “The tough fights I’ve been through are gonna make you or break you, and it’s made me much tougher as a fighter.
“At this point in my career I feel I’m ready for the big time cause I’ve come a long way from where I was. I’m a different fighter now and I can’t wait to display my skills.”
Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News and the Filipino Reporter newspaper in New York City. He can be reached ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.