Gabe Rosado launched an overhand right, ducked under a left hook and his face said it all.
The 35-year-old Philadelphia blood-and-guts warrior smashed his gloves together and screamed in jubilation. That was the immediate aftermath following Rosado's unseating of Bektemir Melikuziev, as he left the top prospect face down and knocked out cold Saturday night as part of the Jaime Munguia-Kamil Szeremeta main card on DAZN.
After Rosado produced arguably the biggest victory of his career, the question now is: Did Gabriel Rosado’s big upset win earn him a showdown with Jaime Munguia? All answers point to a resounding yes — and there are other key reasons for why the fight makes sense, too.
Here, DAZN News lists a few of them:
Munguia and Oscar De La Hoya believe Rosado earned the fight
Following Munguia's dominant stoppage win over Szeremeta in the main event, the No. 1 contender for the WBC and WBO middleweight championships specifically mentioned his desire to clash with either of those titleholders — Jermall Charlo or Demetrius Andrade, respectively — before the year is over. But if boxing politics get in the way of either scenario happening, Munguia and Golden Boy Promotions, led by Oscar De La Hoya, believe that Rosado has earned the crack at Munguia.
"I would like to perhaps by the end of the year, fight for a world title and if not, a battle between Mexico and Puerto Rico with Gabe Rosado," Munguia said in Spanish through a translator. "He looked really good (Saturday night)."
Rosado took it a step further on DAZN's "Beyond the Bell," revealing the details to a conversation he had with De La Hoya.
"Oscar told me I'm going to get it," Rosado said Saturday. "Oscar told me the fight'll happen."
If that's indeed the case, only negotiations await.
But Rosado's third-round KO of a 25-year-old rising prospect in Melikuziev was so startling as an instant Knockout of the Year candidate that it has to garner him another serious crack up the boxing rungs. The 24-year-old Munguia and his thumping style fit that bill aptly.
Rejuvenating the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry
Munguia didn't hesitate mentioning it. Neither did Rosado. The factor of a Munguia-Rosado fight renewing the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry shouldn't be overlooked. If anything, it needs to be harvested.
"I love my Mexican fans and you got Puerto Rico ... it's that rivalry," Rosado said on "Beyond the Bell."
"We haven't had that in a while, right?" he continued. "A great Mexican fighter and a great Puerto Rican fighter. And I got nothing but respect for Jaime Munguia and his team and I'm a great fan of his trainer, Erik Morales. He was one of my favorites coming up. So, I think it's a great fight."
A win by either would genuinely make Munguia or Rosado a better fighter
On top of Rosado having earned the shot at Munguia following his first knockout in nearly four years, a Munguia-Rosado fight would present a growing, profile-building opportunity for both boxers. For Munguia, the bout would present the challenge of figuring out the veteran savvy of a fighter 11 years his senior and breaking Rosado's warrior will if that's what the night conjures.
For Rosado, the showdown would present him with another avenue to show critics and fans alike how he still has more highlights left in his gloves. Already, Rosado was candid in saying that Munguia does have flaws to his fighting game.
"He's a young fighter, he's getting better and smarter as he goes, but, yeah, not every fighter is perfect," Rosado said of Munguia. "So, I think, you kind of use whatever weakness a fighter has and use that against him."
He added: "I'm not going to quit until I get to that point I know I could reach."
DAZN's Sergio Mora, speaking on the same "Beyond the Bell" segment, believes that if Rosado can once again sit on his punches with a power display and combine that with confidence and his veteran experience that the Philly fighter could be the first man to hand Munguia a loss.
"Perfect storm for another upset," Mora called it.
In addition, Rosado spent a bit of last week telling DAZN how he believes he doesn't get enough credit for his boxing ability. As the older, more experienced fighter, Rosado would get that lane to show and prove he's more than a gutsy brawler.
Rosado has been in a zone under the tutelage of Freddie Roach and the same can be said of Munguia following Morales' steady guidance.
Who would have his hand raised if these two fight? And how much better of a boxer would that man leave the ring that night?
These are the questions that can be answered if we see this fight come to fruition.