‘Killa’ Whittaker to get shot at No. 1 IBF rankings spot in televised bout
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.