Bethlehem, PA—Junior middleweights Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, PA, and Charles Whittaker, of the Cayman Islands, will battle for the No. 1 spot in the IBF rankings on Friday evening, Sept. 21, at the Event Center of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
The Rosado-Whittaker bout has been added to the NBC Sports Network Fight Series card, which already includes: light-heavyweights Gabriel Campillo, of Madrid, Spain, against Sergey Kovalev, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 10 rounds; welterweights Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, against Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, 12 rounds. First TV fight at 9 pm (ET).
Main Events, which is promoting the Sept. 21 card with Peltz Boxing and Sampson Boxing, won a purse bid on July 26 for the right to promote Rosado vs. Whittaker and added the match to the Sept. 21 card.
The winner of the Rosado-Whittaker fight will become the mandatory challenger for IBF world champion Cornelius Bundrage, of Detroit, MI.
Rosado, 26, earned the No. 3 slot in the IBF ratings this year with knockout victories over Jesus Soto-Karass, of Mexico, and over Sechew Powell, of Brooklyn, NY. The win over Powell topped the June 1 card in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the 2,000-seat Event Center at the Sands.
A pro since 2006, Rosado (above right) has a 20-5 record, 12 K0s. He has won his last six fights and also has defeated ex-IBF champ Kassim Ouma, of Uganda, and contender Saul Roman, of Mexico.
Whittaker, 38, is 38-12-2, 23 K0s, since turning pro in 1993. He gained the No. 2 slot in the IBF by beating Keenan Collins, of Reading, PA, and Giorbis Barthelemy, of Cuba. He currently holds the USBA title at 154 pounds.
ABOUT SEPTEMBER 21
The Campillo-Kovalev, Cruz-Smith and Rosado-Whittaker fights top a seven-bout card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. First fight is 7.15 pm (ET). Television portion begins at 9 pm (ET). Tickets priced at $80 and $55 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922), all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) or at the box office at the Sands Event Center (610-297-7414). Tickets also can be purchased online at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com and www.Ticketmaster.com. Luxury suite tickets at $130 apiece also are available. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). NBC Sports Network will televise the Campillo-Kovalev, Cruz-Smith and Rosado-Whittaker fights, beginning at 9 pm. The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with Sampson Boxing and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
