Rosales gears up for US debut

JESSIE Cris Rosales is acclimatizing and tapering down for one of the biggest fights of his career two weeks from now.

“I’m continuing my sparring and training here,” the 27-year-old Rosales told Sun.Star Cebu. “I’m just nine pounds over the weight limit.”

Rosales is up against 2016 Olympics silver medalist and highlytouted Shakur Stevenson in a 10rounder co-feature of the Bryant Jennings vs. Oscar Rivas bout on Jan. 19 (PHL time) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York.

After having most of his training at the Holiday Gym and Spa here in Cebu City, Rosales, along with his coach Eldo Cortes, is tapering down his training camp in Indio, California before traveling to New York a few days before the fight date.

Despite the contrasting weathers in the US and in the Philippines, Rosales, who fights under the stable of former world champion Morris East, has been able to acclimatize well and is ready for action.

Rosales, who’s making his US debut, suffered his first and only career loss in 2017 with a second round knockout at the hands of former world champion Jhonny Gonzalez. He bounced back with a secondround knockout of former Olympian Ibrahim Balla last year.

The 21-year-old Stevenson is one of the brightest prospects under Bob Arum’s Top Rank banner. He was even called by Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the “Next Mayweather.”