Gabriel Rosado scores stunning knockout of Bektemir Melikuziev

Gabriel Rosado finally had his big moment on the Jaime Munguia-Kamil Szeremeta card Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

The 35-year-old veteran, known primarily as a tough, but hard-luck opponent, knocked out former amateur star Bektemir Melikuziev with a single right hand in the third round and he couldn’t recover.

Melikuziev, in control from the outset, had put Rosado down in Round 1 and battered his veteran foe to the body much of two-plus rounds. It seemed as if Rosado couldn’t handle his power.

Then, in an instant, the opposite turned out to be the case. Melikuziev (7-1, 6 KOs) walked into an overhand counter that put him flat on his face and hurt him badly.

The 25-year-old made an effort to get up but had no chance of doing so successfully and the referee stopped the fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:21 of Round 3.

Rosado (26-13-1, 15 KOs) figured to be a stepping stone for Melikuziev, who had been a fast-rising young star. After all, Rosado had come up short in his big fights and was only 2-1-4 in his last seven outings.

No one ever questioned Rosado’s resilience and determination, though. And it paid off on Saturday.

Now, with a victory over a hot prospect, Rosado is in position to get yet another big fight. He called out Munguia after the fight, assuming that the Mexican would emerge victorious.

Evidently, anything is possible when it comes to Rosado.