"This is a guy that no one wanted to fight; a lot of people was ducking this guy. That's the reason why I did take this fight because I want to show people that I'm here to fight, and not only am I gonna fight, but I'm going to knock him out and I'm going to win. I like being in that situation. That's what motivates me. When a fighter is motivated that's when he's dangerous. This is not a fight that I'm taking for a check. It's the biggest check that I have ever received, but it's not even about that. At the end of the day, it's a fight where I'm motivated because I want to show the world what I'm about and I want to showcase my talents on HBO and shock the world," stated jr. middleweight contender Gabriel Rosada, who talked about his upcoming January 19 move up to the middleweight division to challenge undefeated WBA champion Gennady Golovkin. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the big fight you got coming up on January 19th against Gennady Golovkin. Was taking this fight a no-brainer for you?
GR: You know, it was a great opportunity and as long as the business end was good, I was all for it. It was never aboutÂ…I was never worried about fighting this guy. I just wanted to make sure everything was well, and once I found out that was good, I was for it, man. It was a fight that I didn't have to take. I could have stayed at 54 and waited for my title shot, being the IBF mandatory challenger. I felt like this fight right here was a great opportunity, man, and it's a fight that I know I can win.
PC: You have been making some pretty good decisions of late. It started with pulling out of your scheduled December fight, and you pulled out of that fight with nothing lined up, but you felt something bigger and better would come along, correct?
GR: Yeah, I just felt like that fight in December just didn't make sense and my gut feeling was telling me there was something better out there. It was not that I had an offer or anything like that, it was just my gut feeling that the fight in December didn't feel right to me. I followed my instincts, man, and next thing you know, this opportunity to fight for a world title at Madison Square Garden on HBO is a great opportunity that I'm going to take advantage of it.
PC: Is Gennady someone who you have kept an eye on or because he is north of your fighting weight, you never really paid him much attention?
GR: I actually saw his first HBO fight. He looks solid and he looks good. I never thought that I would get a fight with him. I was really focused on 154 and I wasn't really paying attention to 160, even though I always told my people that if an opportunity came up at 160, let's jump on it. And once this opportunity came, it was a surprise, but it was a good surprise because it's one that I definitely know I can win.
PC: Have you been training, because January 19th is right around the corner, or did you have to run straight in the lab when you got the news that you were fighting Golovkin?
GR: Every now and then, I hit the gym up and stay in shape. I'm not really like a dude that gets out of shape. I stay fit. I don't really get heavy in weight. I don't blow up or anything like that. We started off camp strong on Sunday when I came back from New York for the Cotto/Trout card. The next day, I went to the gym and we're training hard. We got 7 weeks ahead of us, man, so we're good. I usually do 8-week training camps, so I'm only a week short, but it's really not a big deal, man.
PC: The week won't matter because you have 6 pounds to play with.
GR: Exactly. The last week really is fighting the scale, so I'm good.
PC: I'm sure you weren't dissecting his game when you watched his fight on HBO, but can you remember if you were impressed or not with his performance and skills?
GR: I thought he was a good, solid fighter, but I wasn't impressed with the opponent that he fought. He really didn't fight a guy that challenged him. Anybody can blow somebody out when the guy that you're fighting is not at your level. I'm more impressed when you're able to beat a guy convincingly when he's also a world-class guy that is at your level. I did think he was a solid guy though. He's solid with good poise and patience, and he's a smart fighter, but I feel that he's too slow and his defense isn't too great and I feel I'm going to take advantage of it.
PC: How do you prevent or what would you say to the people who feel he has that one HBO fight under his belt, and the moment and lights may be too big for you? How do you avoid that?
GR: Cameras are cameras and arenas are arenas. I have fought in places where they had 8,000 people and a lot of cameras; it's just the cameras will have HBO on them now. It's not something that's going to get to me. If anything, it's going to make me fight that much harder. Some guys fold under the lights. I'm not that type of guy. I'm the type of guy that takes advantage of opportunities like that. I know this is going to be my best fight and I'm going to look my best.
PC: Josesito Lopez was in a similar position earlier in the year where he moved up and beat Victor Ortiz. Do you view your situation in a similar light?
GR: It's similar to Josesito Lopez, but you know, the thing is that, no disrespect to Victor Ortiz, but everybody knows that Victor Ortiz is suspect sometimes. I think with this guy, Triple G, with his resume and his amateur background, I really don't care much aboutÂ…even though I'm not knocking it, but I just think this guy carries a little more weight. I think a victory against him would be huge. This is a guy that no one wanted to fight; a lot of people was ducking this guy. That's the reason why I did take this fight because I want to show people that I'm here to fight, and not only am I gonna fight, but I'm going to knock him out and I'm going to win. I like being in that situation. That's what motivates me. When a fighter is motivated that's when he's dangerous. This is not a fight that I'm taking for a check. It's the biggest check that I have ever received, but it's not even about that. At the end of the day, it's a fight where I'm motivated because I want to show the world what I'm about and I want to showcase my talents on HBO and shock the world. So that's why I'm taking the fight because I'm motivated.
PC: Are you approaching this fight with the mindset of all of the pressure is on him?
GR: Nah, because the pressure is on both of us. It took me years to get to where I'm at. I had to go through hell to get to this point, you know what I mean? So for me, to take a loss is devastating because I know the struggle and the hell I had to go through to get to where I'm at right now and I'm not trying to go through that again. So the pressure of winning is on both of us and I'm going to approach this fight with everything that I've got. This fight right here can change my life, change my daughter's life and my family's life, so I'm approaching this fight for all of them.
PC: Is the goal to do what Chad Dawson attempted earlier in the year where he said if he would have defeated Andre Ward, he would have had two titles and went back and forth. Is that your goal as well?
GR: Yeah, without a doubt. I got unfinished business at 54. There are a lot of people at 54 that I wanna fight. I make 54 without a problem, and obviously I can do 60. So I would definitely like to do that. A lot of fighters have done that and I can definitely do it. It gives me more opportunities, so I'm on board. I'm all for doing that.
PC: Best of luck to you on the 19th. I'm sure we will be speaking as your camp progresses. Give me some closing thoughts my man.
GR: Yeah man, I appreciate all of the fans for the love and support and I'm definitely going to put on a great fight at the Garden, so all of the fans can come and show their support because it's going to be a great action-packed fight. I just can't wait to bring the title to Philly!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]