By: Hans Themistode
Winning a world title is always on Gabriel Rosado’s mind. Although the Philadelphia-born has yet to mark that target off his boxing roster, he was surprised when it was revealed he would be up against highly ranked opponent Jaime Munguia.
With Rosado referring to their duel as a “legacy war,” he left it out in the ring. However, it is still not enough.
The crowd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, stood in unison as the two entered the ring. A few minutes later, they were still there when a pair of bombs exploded from the sound of the doorbell.
Despite entering their match of wits after four consecutive stoppage-time wins, Rosado headed straight for the center of the ring and managed to hold his ground. Although a bit taken aback at first, Munguia happily put out the fire.
As fists began to fly, Rosado took the first step back as Munguia’s pressure was relentless. No longer wanting to engage in a gunfight, Rosado started boxing and moving. In the second round, the 35-year-old delivered a powerful and steady shot and began looking for a forehand, the same punch that left his previous opponent, Bektemir Melikuziev, immobilized on the frame.
Despite her best efforts, Rosado still couldn’t make her money punch. But, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t experienced many moments of success. In particular, in round 5, Rosado completely changed tactics. He gave up the impact, raised his arms overhead and tried to knock down a much younger opponent.
On a few occasions, Rosado appeared to sway her men. Munguia finds herself pushed back into the ropes and frantically tries to fight to get out of trouble. With momentum seemingly leaning in Rosado’s favor, Munguia took control in the mid-halves. He kept finding Rosado’s chin and kept banging away.
In an attempt to slow things down, Rosado grabbed and held onto Munguia. Not wanting to simply let himself be tied down, Munguia fought his way out of control and took full advantage of a tired-looking Rosado.
As the championship rounds slowly approached, Munguia stood on tiptoe as if to signify that he was still as fresh as a chrysanthemum. Though Rosado was wary, he started swinging over the fence in the 11th inning. His willingness to put on combos may have led to oohs and ahhh from the crowd, but it also causing him to take a lot of counter punches.
At times, Rosado seemed to be fighting on pure instinct. While both men threw powerful blows until the final bell rang, it was Munguia who was awarded the tough unanimous decision victory.
Judges Raul Caiz and Zachary Young looked things in Munguia’s favor, scoring 118-110 and 119-109 respectively. Max DeLuca, however, considers things a bit more competitive but still gives the score in Munguia’s favor. He scored it 117-111 in favor of Munguia.
