Now former world champion Jeison Rosario caused quite a stir when defeated by Jermell Charlo on a 2020 Pay Per View.
Members of the boxing community lept to the defense of Rosario after questions about whether he ‘nodded off’ in the corner.
Jermell Charlo PPV
Fans took to social media to claim Rosario ‘dived’ due to the nature of his defeat to Jermell Charlo on Showtime PPV.
Rosario lost the two world title belts he held at super welterweight when Charlo put him down with what seemed to be an innocuous jab to the body.
But looking closer, Charlo landed with pinpoint accuracy. Rosario doubled up in pain.
Promoter Michelle’ Raging Babe’ Rosado felt compelled to fight Rosario’s corner after the criticism hit the next level.
“There are people out there insinuating that Jeison Rosario took a dive last night? Unbelievable and unacceptable!
“Let me ask you when your favorite quarterback throws three interceptions. Do you say he had a bad day, or do you say he took a dive and threw the game?” – she asked.
There’s actually people out there insinuating that Jeinson Rosario took a dive last night? Unbelievable and unacceptable! Let me ask you, when your favorite quarterback throws 3 interceptions, do you say he had a bad day or do you say he took a dive and threw the game? #boxing
— Raging Babe (@RagingBabe) September 27, 2020
Jeison Rosario
Boxing trainer Stephen Edwards then aired his view and belief that something was wrong with Rosario during the contest.
“Rosario didn’t take a dive. (Rosario) I tried his a** off. His life changes if he wins that fight. He’s a big dude, and weight-cutting tricks are hard to do in that bubble.
“Flatten the tires of big, strong fighters. They need more to rehydrate. Jermell went to his body like he was supposed to.”
Pay Per View
Edwards even pointed to an incident just before the stoppage when the 25-year-old Dominican seemingly got some shut-eye for a split second.
“Watch the Charlo vs. Rosario corner time between the 7th and 8th (the round of the stoppage). Rosario nodded off to sleep before he came out for the 8th,” pointed out Edwards.
“That kid was in bad shape. Very bad. Here is when you find out how much your team cares about you. You guys need to give that kid a break.
“Trainers have a tough job. What we see on TV may not be how they process it live under stress. It happened quickly.
“In football, I did [see something]. It’s the exact same thing. The kid looked like he was in a seizure. He took a brutal hit. But you can sub out in football – no subbing in boxing.
“You have to be paying attention. He was literally nodding off like watching a movie late, then woke himself up quickly. He’s lucky he didn’t take a headshot [instead of the body].
“Or blessed. No luck in boxing,” he added.
Rosario was taken to the hospital as a precaution after the Pay Per View loss. He was released soon after and returned to his home country.
However, the incident again highlights the dangers boxers put themselves in for every fight. But they are also open to taking criticism no matter how hard it gets in the ring.
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