Garcia vs. Tagoe: After a 'good' 2021, Gabe Rosado is ready pursue gold at 168

SAN ANTONIO — Gabe Rosado has faced some of the biggest names in boxing throughout his 16-year career. Rosado's made the walk against Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermell Charlo, Daniel Jacobs, and Jaime Munguia. 

While most wouldn't view going 1-1 in 2021 as a success, it is a year Rosado looks at fondly. First, he scored what many thought was the knockout of the year when he faceplanted Bektemir Melikuziev in June. Then he had a back and forth battle in a losing effort to Jaime Munguia in November in one of the year's best fights. Rosado looks to jump-start his 2022 campaign on Saturday when he takes on Shane Mosely Jr. at the Alamodome, which you can live and exclusively on DAZN.

"It was a good year," Rosado admits to DAZN. "I got knocked out of the year. I think me and Munguia was fight of the year, right behind Wilder and Fury. So it's a good year. I set some goals for 2021. There were some that I wasn't able to, but I'm setting goals for 2022, and that's to put myself in a position to fight for the world title. I'm back at 68. I feel strong at this weight class. I still feel healthy, which is important. I'm just ready to rock."

In the last couple of years, Rosado (26-14-1, 15 KOs) had made the super-middleweight division his home. But for the Munguia fight, Rosado returned and fought at 160 pounds because it was worth facing someone of that caliber. Super-middleweight is home once again, and if there is a fight that makes sense at light heavyweight, he'll think about that as well. 

He took the bout with Mosely because Mosely was willing to take it at 168 and felt it was a perfect way to kick off 2022, which Rosado hopes leads him on a path to securing another world title opportunity.

"I'm gonna go in there, and my mindset is to destroy," Rosado said. "I don't want to go in there and box my way to a win. I can do that with Mosely if I want to. That's not the kind of fight that I want. I want to go in there and just take him out and make a statement. I have a great deal of respect for his dad, but it's not personal, it's business.  I'm gonna go in there and just get a knockout and make a statement that Gabe Rosato at 68 is a problem. I'm going to pursue a world title at the division."