Kevin Newman II had some harsh words for Gabriel Rosado, a man he thought he’d face later this year.
Rosado recorded a first-round knockout of Crispulo Javier Andino at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California.
Newman, 18-3 (11 KOs), is on a seven-fight win streak since a loss in 2021. The Roy Jones Jnr-trained resurgent super middleweight returns to the ring on October 4 versus a yet-to-be-named opponent.
The opponent is not yet named, Newman theorizes, due to Rosado’s unwillingness to move forward with the proposed matchup.
“We were mentioned to fight on my next fight date, October 4,” Newman said. “It was all set. He wanted a tune-up fight. Then, they came back and said Gabe wants a crazy amount of money.
“At this point in his career, he is not worth that amount of money.”
Newman, a 33-year-old from Las Vegas, had conviction with his words around Rosado’s number.
“When guys price themselves out to me, it looks like they don’t want anything to do with another fight,” Newman said. “I get it, he is trying to cash out and get one more big payday, but if you are in or around super middleweight, you are in my way.”
Rosado, 27-17-1 (16 KOs), now residing in Los Angeles, called out Edgar Berlanga after his recent knockout win. Newman was unimpressed by the effort of Rosado’s opponent, Andino. Newman was bold in his prediction of what he would have done to the beloved 39-year-old former title challenger in the ring.
“That guy he fought came to lay down” Newman said. “I was going to retire Rosado. He is easy work for me. He should stick to podcasting. And I don’t think he is even good at that.”
Newman’s forthcoming bout will mark his third of the year. He dominated journeyman Alan Camp over six rounds on March 29 in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The win was followed by a seventh-round knockout of Malcolm Jones on July 5 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
His next appearance will mark Newman’s first three-fight campaign since 2019.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
