It was a very busy night of boxing last night, with big fights going down all over the place. However, when it comes to the fighter who scored the KO of the fight – in fact very possibly The KO of the Year – that distinction has to go to veteran ring warrior Gabriel Rosado. Fighting unbeaten Uzbek prospect, former amateur standout Bektemir Melikuziev in El Paso, 35 year old Rosado was very much in the role of underdog; he was a name that would look nice on the 25 year old’s pro record.
After all, Rosado, 25-13-1(15) coming in, had lost two of his previous three and he was, in the opinion of plenty of fans, a faded force. Not so. Rosado did get knocked down in the opening round of last night’s super-middleweight fight, this by a Melikuziev body shot. But Rosado is as tough as he is full of heart, and in round three it happened.
With the younger, faster and stronger man coming forwards, Rosado threw a perfect right hand bomb that landed flush on the southpaw’s jaw, Melikuziev going down hard on his face. It was one of those punches that, the split-second it detonated, fans, and commentators, let out a big, ‘Oh!’ The stricken Melikuziev tried his best to get up but he was out of it. One expert said on air how the KO reminded him of the stunning KO Juan Manuel Marquez scored in his final battle with Manny Pacquiao.
Rosado revived his career last night and he can now look forward to another big opportunity. For the now 7-1(6) Melikuziev, it’s back to the drawing board. On a night when the monster-punching Naoya Inoue was in action, it was Gabriel Rosado who scored the night’s biggest, most jaw-dropping knockout. And as you know, that’s saying something.
If you haven’t seen Rosado’s electrifying KO yet, check it out now via YouTube. When the time comes to look back, Rosado KO3 Melikuziev will certainly be a top contender for KO of the Year.