GABRIEL ROSADO had hoped to box WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on the Canelo Alvarez September 17 undercard. When that fell through, Willie Monroe Jnr came in as his opponent.
“The game plan doesn’t really change as much as far as [Monroe] and Billy Joe. They’re both southpaws. We were already working with southpaws and things like that, and they kind of in a way have similar styles. I think Billy Joe is probably a little more slicker. But you know it’s really the game plan didn’t change. Both guys can box, and move and things like that. It’s just the style we’re working on, and it’s pretty much the same size, so nothing changed,” Rosado said.
He was scathing about Monroe Jnr, saying to him, “You didn’t fight nobody. You didn’t fight no world class fighters. You fought Triple-G and you quit, and I’m going to make you quit too.”
Rosado gave his take on why the world title fight with Saunders didn’t come off. “Obviously he didn’t take the fight because he feels it’s a threat,” Gabriel said. “If they really believe that [it was easy] he would have taken the fight because why would he want a tough fight if the next fight is supposed to be Canelo?
“So if I was so easy, he would have taken the fight… But I’m not even thinking about Billy Joe no more. I’m just focused on this fight and that’s it.”
Saunders is expected to fight Canelo next, if Alvarez gets through the Liam Smith fight on September 17. But if that doesn’t come off, Rosado could be in the frame for a shot at Alvarez.
Golden Boy Promotions senior vice president Eric Gomez gave an update on the potential Canelo-Saunders fight. “Right now they’re stalled. We’re going to wait till after. We’re going to get together with Frank Warren, the week of the fight. He also represents Liam Smith. So we’re going to sit down again and see what happens. But I’m interested in seeing the outcome of this fight [Rosado-Monroe]. There is real animosity. You can hear both guys and there is real animosity there,” he said. “These guys are going to go at it. They’re at each other’s throats now. I’m excited.”
Rosado however isn’t holding out for a shot at Canelo. “I know not to think ahead. So I’m not even thinking about that. I’m just thinking about what’s ahead of me and that’s it. I’ve been in this game long enough to know, you know, nothing in boxing is promised. So they could say that Canelo’s next, but that don’t mean nothing if I don’t win the fight. So I’m just thinking about winning this fight and looking good. And I want to do it by knockout. So that’s just what’s on my mind. I’m not thinking ahead of that,” he said.
