By Francisco Salazar

Gabriel Rosado could have mailed it in after his loss to David Lemieux in December of 2014.

He was winless in five consecutive fights and his career seemed to have reached its end.

But back-to-back victories have prolonged his career, one where he could wind up one of the best fighters in boxing should he come out victorious tonight.

Rosado will face Willie Monroe in a 10 round middleweight bout at AT&T Park in Arlington, Tex. The bout will precede the main event bout between WBO junior middleweight titleholder Liam Smith and challenger Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Both fights will air live on HBO Pay Per View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT.

In his last bout on June 4, Rosado (23-9 1 NC, 13 KOs) survived a knockdown at the hands of Antonio Gutierrez to grind out a 10 round decision victory.

No one questions the heart of the 30-year-old Rosado. The Philadelphia-born fighter has faced some of the best middleweights in boxing, including Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux.

Rosado believes a few key additions have been key to performing well, albeit against B-level opposition.

Rosado hired the services of Fernando Vargas, who was a two-time world junior middleweight titleholder and now trains fighters.

"We're both warriors and cut from the same cloth," Rosado told krikya360.com earlier this week. "He's been in there before and he brings all that experience. He's big on body-punching and now that's an added element to my game-plan. We both take a lot of pride in what we do."

Rosado faces a fighter in Monroe who is 1-1 in his last two bouts.

At Friday's weigh-in, both exchanged words and the stare-down almost got physical before the two were separated.

"I have respect for him, but he's under my skin," said Rosado, who trained in Southern California for the Monroe fight. "I want to hurt him, stop him, and knock him out."

Rosado's turnaround could lead to fight with Alvarez, should he get by Monroe. Alvarez is penciled to return to the ring on December 10, should he get by Smith.

Golden Boy Promotions does have a hold on Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the promotional company is eyeing venues in Las Vegas.

His hard work and grit to grind out recent wins could be attributed to also making subtle changes in camp.

"I weighed 161 (pounds) on (Wednesday). I'm not killing myself to make weight like in previous fights. I have a strength and conditioning coach and a nutritionist. I believe in myself and my goal is winning a world champion. I keep fighting because of that. If I didn't believe it could happen, I wouldn't be fighting."

"I great performance (tonight) could elevate me to a Canelo fight. God has a plan for everyone and I believe those bumps in the road in the past has led me to where I'm at."

"I'm looking forward to writing out this chapter of my life."

Francisco A. Salazar has written for krikya360.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing