Gabe Rosado Warns Ben Whittaker Ahead Of Richard Rivera Fight

The former title challenger says Ben Whittaker’s defensive habits could be exposed by Richard “Popeye” Rivera, whose power he experienced in sparring

Gabe Rosado believes Ben Whittaker’s defensive flaws could finally catch up with him when he faces Richard “Popeye” Rivera on Saturday night. Having sparred with Rivera himself, Rosado says the American puncher has the power and fundamentals to punish mistakes that previous opponents failed to exploit.

“This might be a sleeper. If Ben ain’t on his P’s and Q’s, I can see ‘Popeye’ knocking out Ben. Popeye got power. He got pop and can punch. He’s got the basics and fundamentals,” Rosado said during a discussion with Ring Magazine.

Rosado said his opinion isn’t based solely on Rivera’s fights. He recalled sparring with Rivera in Puerto Rico and coming away impressed by the light heavyweight’s power.

“I was working with him in Puerto Rico, and we were sparring. He hit me with a shot, and I said, ‘Ooh. I got to get on my P’s and Q’s real quick because he got some pop,'” said Gabe.

Max Kellerman agreed Rivera carries legitimate power, joking that Whittaker could be in trouble if Rivera’s corner “pops a can of spinach” during the fight, referencing the challenger’s “Popeye” nickname.

When the discussion turned to Whittaker’s defense, Rosado was even more critical. While Kellerman pointed out that the Olympic silver medalist has consistently made opponents miss, Rosado argued his defensive habits have yet to be punished because of the level of opposition.

“I don’t like his defense. The thing is, his chin is up in the air, and he’s not fighting guys that are making him pay for those mistakes.”

Rosado believes those habits become increasingly dangerous as the competition improves.

“Yeah, you can get away with those against regular competition. But once you step your game up, you’ve got to be sharper. He’s got the swag, he’s got the star qualities,” said Rosado.

Whittaker (11-0-1, 8 KOs) faces Rivera (27-2, 20 KOs) on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 10-round light heavyweight contest is part of the DAZN Pay-Per-View undercard headlined by the unified junior middleweight title fight between Xander Zayas and Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

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