Rubio Is Ready For Rosales

WBF Middleweight Champion Marco Antonio Rubio, 55-6-1 (48), will defend his title on December 22 at the Auditorio del Bicentenario in Morelia, Mexico against fellow countryman Michel Rosales, 32-5 (26).

“El Veneno” Rubio won the title by stopping Argentine former world champ Carlos Manuel Baldomir back in September, and the clash with Rosales will be his first defense. At the same time, the fight will be the first shot at a world championship for Rosales, and the 29-year-old from San Luis Potosi has a special weapon in his corner; master strategist Nacho Beristain.

Beristain, the man who also trains Manny Pacquiao-conqueror Juan Manual Marquez, is confident that he will get his 26^th World Champion in Rosales:

“I have studied videos of Rubio, and I think Michel can win. Rubio has a world of experiences and impressive punching-power, but I believe we can fight a smart fight and bring the belt home. We have seen his weaknesses”, says the 73-year-old Hall Of Fame trainer.

Not new to the game, Rubio is well aware of the advantage it can be for a boxer to have Beristain in his corner, but he believes he has turned the advantage of his opponent into his own advantage, saying:

“We know the powers of Nacho, what he can do, and I think it gave everyone in my team extra motivation for this fight. I am going to be not only 100 percent ready, I will take it to 150 percent!”

While Rubio is clearly the more experienced of the two, both boxers have significant power and more than likely this one will not go the full distance. Question remains, will Rubio be too much for Rosales, or will the power of Rosales combined with the strategy of Beristain be enough for the challenger, much like it was more than enough for Marquez against Pacquiao?

The Marco Antonio Rubio vs. Michel Rosales fight, dubbed “Viva Morelia”, will be promoted by Promociones Del Pueblo in cooperation with HG Boxing. It will be televised live in Mexico and the USA by Televisa.

December 19, 2012