Gabriel Rosado Breaks Down, Stops Ayi Bruce in Fifth

Atlantic City, NJ—King Gabriel Rosado broke down late sub Ayi Bruce and won by knockout at 2.56 of the fifth round of their scheduled eight-round main event Friday night at Bally’s Atlantic City.

Rosado, 25, of Philadelphia, PA, won his third fight in a row to stay in the world junior middleweight picture and ran his record to 17-5, 10 K0s.

Bruce, 25, of Albany, NY, accepted the fight on 48 hours’ notice after Allen Conyers, of the Bronz, NY, withdrew Tuesday night with a bone chip in his right hand.

The first two rounds went to Rosado, whose jab and straight right hand kept him in control.  Bruce closed the distance in round three to make it close, but a straight right-hand lead from Rosado early in round four put Bruce down.  Rosado tried to close the show, but Bruce survived the last two minutes to make it back to his corner.

There was confusion in the ring between rounds and it appeared Bruce’s corner told referee Eddie Cotton that their fight had had enough.  Rosado jumped for joy but moments later Bruce’s corner said it was a misunderstanding and both fighters came out for round five.

Bruce tried to get back into the fight, but a series, of left jabs, uppercuts from both sides and right hooks from Rosado forced Cotton to stop the fight at 2.56 of the round.

“Ayi Bruce had a lot of heart,” said Rosado.  “He had a hard head.  I started going to the body and he started to weaken.  I felt great all night; I never was tired.”

Rosado, 155 pounds, was ranked No. 15 by the IBF last month and figures to move up.  It was his third win in a row and fifth in his last six fights.  He has beaten Kassim Ouma and Saul Roman.

Bruce, 154, who had won his last five fights, slips to 13-4, 7 K0s.

Tony Ferrante, 177, won a clinch-filled match with fellow-Philadelphian Andre Hemphill, 176, scoring a knockout at 2.44 of the seventh round of their scheduled eight-round semifinal.

     It was Ferrante’s second win over Hemphill, having won the first fight last year via six-round split decision in Philadelphia.

     Hemphill, 31, started fast and won three of the first four rounds, busting up Ferrante’s face and scoring with hard jabs and left hooks.  

     In the fifth, Hemphill slowed down and began to clinch at every opportunity.  Referee Ricardo Vera took a point from Hemphill for repeated holding.

     Ferrante, 27, kept the pressure on in the sixth, then hurt Hemphill with a straight right hand late in round seven and Hemphill held on to survive.  Hemphill finally went down in Ferrante’s corner, got up at nine, but took more shots before Vera stopped it at 2.44.

    The win boosts Ferrante to 11-2, 6 K0s.  Hemphill drops to 10-18-2, 5 K0s.

     Junior middleweights Eberto Medina, of Newark, NJ, and Jamaal Davis, of Philadelphia, PA, brawled to a six-round draw.  

     It was non-stop inside punching for 18 straight minutes with neither man was able to establish control.

     Judge Luis Rivera has id 59-55 for Medina; Shafeeq Rashada scored it 58-56 for Davis; John Poturaj saw it 57-57.

     Medina now is 5-6-1, 1 K0; Davis 12-8-1, 6 K0s.

Rest of Prelims

     Junior lightweight Bryne Green, 132 of Vineland, NJ, earned a unanimous four-round decision over previously unbeaten Tyrone Luckey, 131, of Middletown, NJ.  All three judges saw it 38-37 for Green, the difference being a first-round knockdown in Green’s favor.  Green is now 7-4-1, 3 K0s, while Luckey is 4-1, 4 K0s.

     Welterweight DeCarlo Perez, 147, of Atlantic City, NJ, scored a unanimous four-round decision over Keane Davis, 145, of Philadelphia, PA.  Scores were 38-37, 39-36, 40-35, all for Perez, now 4-0-1, 1 K0.  Davis drops to 1-3.

     In the opening bout, junior welterweight Naim Nelson, 138, won by unanimous decision over Korey Sloane, 140, in an all-Philadelphia matchup.  Scores were 39-37, 39-37, 40-36 for Nelson, now 2-0.  Sloan goes to 1-1.

     The six-bout card was promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc.