SAN ANTONIO – Gabriel Rosado is no stranger to meeting friendly faces in the ring.

In the case of his upcoming fight with Shane Mosley Jr., it’s more a case of familial bloodlines than anything else that resonates with Rosado. The two have known each other for more than a decade, when Philadelphia’s Rosado sparred with Shane Mosley Sr., now a Hall of Fame former three-division champ who at the time was eyeing another welterweight title run.

More than 12 years later, they once again cross paths—this time in a must-win situation for both fighters.

“I have a good relationship with his father. His father is a legend. I looked up to him,” Rosado confessed after an open media workout Wednesday afternoon at Will Naylor Smith Riverwalk Plaza in downtown San Antonio. “I was part of his training camp when he fought Antonio Margarito (in January 2009, during Margarito’s infamous hand wraps incident and with Mosley winning by ninth-round knockout). I’ve had a relationship with Shane, but this is business.

“At the end of the day, this is the hurt business. I’m ready for this fight, and I’m coming for the knockout.”

The two will meet in a scheduled ten-round super middleweight bout, with each coming off a hard-fought loss in their most recent respective ring appearances.

Rosado (26-14-1, 15KOs) has truly seen it all during the course of his 16-year pro career. Mosley (17-4, 10KOs)—a former Contender finalist who dropped a majority decision to eventual title challenger Jason Quigley last May in Las Vegas—was just 15 years old when Rosado turned pro in 2006 and barely 18 when Rosado was helping the elder Mosley prepare for his knockout win over Margarito, the last great performance in his Hall of Fame career.

Rosado and Mosley Jr. have since crossed paths, maintaining an amicable relationship though never to the point where it would be uncomfortable to meet with real stakes. In fact, the battle-tested former title challenger has shared the ring with several fighters he’s previously considered friends, though always putting business first.

“To be honest, some of the best fights are the ones you have a relationship with,” noted Rosado, who is coming off a competitive but clear points loss to former WBO junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia last November. “I’m not really that cool with Shane Jr. but I know his father.

“I had a couple of fights coming up against friends and those are the tough fights. I’m ready for this fight.”

Rosado-Mosley Jr. serves in supporting capacity to a 12-round bout between lightweight contenders Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18KOs) and Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15KOs), to be fought at a maximum contracted weight of 139 pounds.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox