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Steve KimESPN
Gmail Charlow consolidated three junior middleweight world titles with an eighth-round knockout victory over Jason Rosario on Saturday night at the Mohagen Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. And the final blow was one of the most unusual knockout matches you’ll ever see – the left numbness on the body
Rosario (20-2-1, 14 KOs), who hit the canvas in the first and sixth rounds, was knocked down early in the eighth by a spear shot from Charlo (34-1, 18 KOs), and he seemed to have trouble catching his breath. He was unable to beat referee Harvey Doc’s count, which reached 10 in 21 seconds of the round.
“I definitely proved that I’m more than just a puncture, but I showed again that I’m a big puncher. I’ll give myself one tonight,” Charlo said. “I stuck to my game plan and listened to my coach. Everything we did at camp I used in this fight. I pushed myself all the way through training camp. It’s a journey for me. I’m bringing the stripes home. To my family as they told me. “
Charlo said the body blow is the culmination of the previous blows that Rosario wore down.
“I think some of the previous punches hit him just before he got out of the pocket,” Charlo said. “The body shot that landed just hit the right point.”
Charlo made a quick start, sending Rosario to the top of the head from the left. Then, near the end of the sixth, the flashing left hook took it down again. At this point, he was badly hurt and Rosario was saved from the bricks.
In the midst of the knockdown, Rosario had a really good fight as he went ahead and pushed Charlo forward with a roaring physical attack. Rosario was really winning the round after his first trip to the canvas, as he put Charlo on his hind legs.
“I knew he had to come after the first knockdown. He kept pushing for four or five rounds until I floored him again,” Charlo said. “I’m growing and learning that knockouts just come. I know I have explosive power in both hands. I used my jaw more than any other punch in this fight and that’s how I got these stripes.”
With the victory, Charlo added the IBF and WBA belts to his WBC 154-pound title.
“Dreams come true,” Charlo said. “This is a part of my dreams and a part of my destiny. I am satisfied and I am happy.”
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