By Jake Donovan

Daniel Rosas overcome a gruesome cut and a stiff challenge from Jhon Gemino to keep his career alive with an 8th round knockout Saturday evening at Gran Teatro Moliere in Mexico City. 

Still rebuilding following back-to-back losses in 2014, Rosas saw his night get off to a rough start as Gemino—a fiery Filipino swarmer fighting for the second straight time in Mexico—clearly had upset on the mind from the opening bell. The first round ended with Rosas suffering a deep cut over his left eye, forcing his corner to put in extra work to guard against an early stoppage.

With the wound well tended to, Rosas took care of the rest, though not after riding out a rough storm. Gemino had the local favorite hurt in round three, but spent most of the round chasing a knockout that just wasn't there. 

Expending a lot of energy, the visiting challenger saw his output dramatically decrease in subsequent rounds, at which point Rosas wisely picked up the pace. A steady attack mounted from that point, with the one-time contender eventually putting away Gemino courtesy of a body shot that forced the Filipino to all fours. 

The official time was 2:42 of round eight. 

Rosas keeps his struggling career alive, improving to 19-2-1 (12KOs). The bout was his first since a majority decision win over countryman Mario Villela last December. 

Gemino gave it a hell of a try, but heads home with his second straight defeat as he falls to 12-5-1 (5KOs). 

Opening the teleast, Anabel Ortiz picked up the fifth defense of her strawweight title following a technical unanimous decision over Sandra Robles. The bout was stopped in round six due to an accidental clash of heads. 

Ortiz prevailed by scores of 59-55 across the board to improve to 18-3 (3KOs). The 29-year old has won eight straight dating back to Aug. '12.

The 21-year old Robles comes up short in her first title bid, as she falls to 11-2 (5KOs).

In swing bout action, Ivan Ochoa picked up his second straight win with a 2nd round knockout of Francisco Perez (8-6-1, 5KOs). A flurry of shots had the 21-year old from Guadalajara out on his feet, with Ochoa (5-2-1, 3KOs) steadily throwing until the referee intervened at 1:44 of round two. 

All bouts aired live on TV Azteca in Mexico and beIn Sport Español in the United States.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene