AT&T Stadium - For the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title, Willie Monroe Jr. (21-2, 6KOs) boxed his way to a twelve round unanimous decision over Gabe Rosado (23-10, 13KOs). The scores were 116-112, 118-110 and 117-111.
A slow pace to start off the first round. Monroe seemed to have the edge with sharper punches landed. Rosado was selecting to box with Monroe, who was obviously boxing. Rosado started applying a lot more pressure in the second round and Monroe was using his quicker hands and feet to box and stay away from any telling punches. In the third, Rosado continued to pressure Monroe and follow him around, but he was getting tagged with the quicker punches. Monroe's jab was snapping Rosado's head back.
Monroe was taking a step back and baiting Rosado to come inside as the fourth started. Rosado would come charging in and kept getting picked off by Monroe's quicker shots. There wasn't much offense landing from Rosado. He tried to going to Monroe's body a few times, but allowed himself to get tied up when he stepped inside.
Rosado was starting to pick up the pace in the fifth round and it very close, but Monroe continued to land the quicker shots as Rosado charged in. For some reason Rosado was no longer charging in when the sixth began, and instead he was being calculating with his punches and getting outboxed by the man with the sharper, quicker hands. Monroe was really showing a good defense by avoiding or blocking much of Rosado's offense.
Monroe's right jab and left hand was still on display in the seventh. Rosado was getting a little closer and starting to trap Monroe against the ropes, but never able to connect flush with a lot of punches. Rosado was pressing forward in the eight, getting Monroe to the ropes and letting his hands go. He was landing punches here and there, but also allowed Monroe to land punches in return.
Monroe continued to outbox Rosado in ninth round. Rosado suffered a cut to the back of his head and there was a flow of blood going down his back. A replay showed that an accidental elbow from Monroe clipped Rosado to that area as they came inside and wrestled around. Rosado come out very aggressive in the tenth. He was trying to land everything possible, but instead he was eating leather. During the eleventh, there was an accidental clash of heads that saw a bad cut open up above the left eye of Rosado. There was a very slow pace to the twelfth and final round. Neither fighter was pressing the action much. Monroe was just hanging back, waiting for Rosado to come inside and then throwing his punches.
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