This Saturday Philly’s “King” Gabriel Rosado will be taking on Luis Arias, 18-1 (9), of Milwaukee, WI, whose returning to the ring after a year since losing his first fight. He had an extensive amateur career splitting in two bouts with current No. 1 WBO Super Middleweight Jesse “Hollywood” Hart.

Back in January of 2006 when Philly’s “King” Gabriel Rosado turned professional like most young hungry twenty year-olds he felt this will be my way to gain “fame and fortune”.

In June of 2008 Rosado, then 9-2, would face unbeaten Jim Moore, 15-0, who was Ireland’s 3-time National champion. Rosado would defeat Moore over 8 rounds. Six months would go by before he would return to the ring facing another unbeaten boxer in Fernando Guerrero, 12-0, at the Wicomico Civic Center, in Salisbury, MD.

After returning to Philly and posting a stoppage Rosado would meet his biggest opponent to date at the Prudential Center, in Newark, NJ, the former IBF World Super Welterweight Champion Uganda’s southpaw Kassim “The Dream” Ouma, 26-5-1. Rosado passed his first “crossroad” fight defeating the former champion by split decision.

Now in the Main Event in Primm, NV, Rosado once again would be “blindsided” returning to the ring in his next fight finding himself on the canvas twice in the second round to Mexico’s hard hitting Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, 15-1. He would return to action three months later posting a pair of wins in Atlantic City, NJ.

In July of 2010 Rosado would have another “crossroads” fight against fellow Philly boxer Derek “Pooh” Ennis, 21-2-1, for the USBA Super Welter Title, at the South Philly Arena. Rosado could box and could punch. This fight he came in boxing the boxer and left the ring losing by majority decision. Being in attendance for this one “why was there never a rematch” to one great match?

After ending the year with a win Rosado would travel back to AC facing Philly’s Jamaal “Da Truth” Davis, 12-7, for the interim WBA-NABA Super Welter Title stopping Davis in the twelfth and final round. This fight gave him plenty of confidence that he needed and started him on a winning streak.

Ghana’s Ayi “Bruce Lee” Bruce, 20-3, who was on a five fight winning streak was next. Rosado had him down in the fourth and stopped in the fifth. He would then win the vacant USA PA State Super Welter Title defeating Keenan Collins, 13-6-2. In January Mexico’s tough Jesus Soto “Renuente” Karass, 24-6-3, would come to Philly with Rosado cutting him over his left eye in the second round and by the fifth the fight was halted.

In June of 2012 Rosado would face southpaw Sechew “Iron Horse” Powell, 26-4, at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA, dropping Powell twice in the ninth round posting a big win for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title. In his last fight of the year he stopping Charles “Killa” Whittaker, 38-12-2, of the Cayman Islands, in the tenth round in an IBF Jr. Middleweight Title Eliminator.

I can remember it like it was yesterday along with Philly Boxing History’s John DiSanto, interviewing Rosado who was “passing” on a title fight with IBF Jr Middle champ K-9 Bundrage to meet my favorite fighter Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 24-0, for his WBA and IBO World Middle title at the Madison Square Garden Theater. When I questioned why he would take this fight instead he said “if I beat GGG it will put me right there at the top” (something) and I thought “are you kidding me?” He made a gallant effort even backing GGG up in one round but his blood was spilling all over the ring by the seventh round when he corner threw in the towel. I would later find out he received 300k instead of 100k to fight Bundrage.

Next Rosado would take on hot middleweight prospect J’Leon Love, 15-0, and have him on the deck in the sixth round only to lose by split decision. It would be overturned after Love tested positive for a banned diuretic to a No Decision by the Nevada Commission.

While attending his next fight against Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, 29-0, for his WBO World Middle Title Rosado found himself on the canvas in the second round, cut on the left eyelid in the ninth though behind in the tenth having Quillin all but out the referee suddenly called a halt due to the cut. The fans went ballistic and so did I.

Rosado would drop back to super welter in January of 2014 losing to current WBC champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo, 22-0, getting cut again on his left eyelid but going the distance in a loss. Returning to the middleweight division some eleven months later fighting for the NABF Title against tough Canadian David Lemieux, 32-2, Rosado found himself on the canvas in the third round and went on to be stopped in the tenth.

Rosado would take a year off returning in December of 2015 to face former IBF Welterweight Champion Ghana’s Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey, 39-4 (22), putting the former champion into retirement winning over 10 rounds. Next in June of 2016 he would come off the canvas in the fourth round to defeat Mexico’s Jesus Antonio “La Joya” Gutierrez, 20-1-1, in Carson, CA, over 10 rounds.

In September Rosado would suffer cuts from accidental head butts from southpaw Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe, Jr., 20-2, losing over 10 rounds, in Arlington, TX. He would return to the ring in April of 2017 losing a majority decision to former interim WBA World Middleweight champion Martin Murray, 34-4-1, for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title at the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, UK. Six months later he would bounce back and stop Glen Tapia, 23-4, having him down in the sixth with the referee stopping it in the round. The fight was held at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, NV.

Fighting out of Philly in thirteen of his thirty-five fights Rosado will be on the road again when he meets Arias at the Kansas Star Arena, in Mulvane, KS. His bout will be the co-feature to heavyweight Jarell “Big Baby” Miller, 22-0-1 (19), taking on Romania’s Bogdan Dinu, 18-0 (14), in the Main Event.