Veteran Gabe Rosado will be looking to pull off another shocker on April 22, when he faces dangerous super middleweight puncher Bektemir Melikuziev in a rematch.
They first met in 2021, with Rosado (26-16, 15 KOs) recovering from a first round knockdown to score a sensational one-punch knockout of Melikuziev in the third round.
Last month, Rosado was due to face light heavyweight Gilberto Ramirez. Their fight was canceled a day before the contest was scheduled to take place after Ramirez was deemed to be too overweight.
Rosado will look to snap a three fight losing streak – which all came by decision. Rosado has not suffered a stoppage loss since a 2014 clash with David Lemieux.
“It was tough having the fight against ‘Zurdo’ canceled, but now it’s me versus Bek on the biggest fight card of the year,” said Rosado. “I’m focused and ready to put Bek back in check. I look forward to being part of a historical fight card, and I plan on dominating ‘The Bully’ once again!”
The 26-year-old Melikuziev (11-1, 9 KOs) wants revenge. Originally hailing from Uzbekistan and now residing in Indio, California, Melikuziev turned pro in 2019 after an impressive amateur career that included gold medals in the 2015 and 2017 Asian Championships.
Since losing to Rosado, Melikuziev managed to get his career back on track by winning his last four fights – and the last three outings were closed out within three rounds or less.
“This is the fight I wanted and the most important fight for me today,” said Melikuziev. “This is the fight to right the wrong. I am so lucky to make it on the biggest card of the year. I want to thank my team, my promoter, and of course, Rosado, for giving me this opportunity.”