Middleweights Gabriel Rosado and Glen Tapia, fighters who are on the downside of their careers but who come to the ring to brawl, will square off in the 10-round main event of the "Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN" card on Oct. 19, Golden Boy Promotions announced Thursday.
The card, which will take place at the Park Theater at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, will air on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes beginning at 11 p.m. ET. Preliminary bouts will stream live on ESPN3 beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET.
Both fighters are well past their prime, but they are known for displaying heart in their rock 'em, sock 'em fights. They are also both in dire need of a victory.
Rosado (23-11, 13 KOs), 31, of Philadelphia, who has lost middleweight world title fights to Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin, has lost two fights in a row, decisions to Willie Monroe Jr. and Martin Murray.
"I'm doing camp in Philadelphia. I went back to my roots," Rosado said. "I'm now with my original trainer, Billy Briscoe. We had a solid performance together in Liverpool [England], but lost on the scorecards due to a very bad, controversial decision where many fans and media had us winning versus Martin Murray in a hometown decision.
"Now we face Glen Tapia, a strong kid with a big heart. It's a fan-friendly fight. I'm excited to get back in the ring and put myself back on the run for a world title shot. The fans are backing me up, and I want to put on a great show for them."
Tapia (23-4, 15 KOs), 27, of Passaic, New Jersey, has taken beatings in recent fights, and some have said he should no longer be boxing. He has lost three fights in a row, a decision to Jason Quigley in March and two knockouts in a row before that to David Lemieux and Michel Soro.
"There's really nothing bad to say about a guy like Rosado," Tapia said. "He has great heart, and he leaves it all in the ring for the fans every time he fights. As for me, everyone knows that I do the same thing so this is a perfect matchup. I'm at a point in my career where I have a lot to prove, so there's really nothing to say. Just make sure you tune in on Oct. 19th."
In the 10-round welterweight co-feature, Alejandro Barrera (27-3, 17 KOs), 31, of Mexico, will take on KeAndre Gibson (17-1-1, 7 KOs), 27, of St. Louis.