Friday 12 August 2016 16:47, UK
Gabriel Rosado has branded Billy Joe Saunders a 'coward' after the WBO middleweight champion rejected a proposed fight on the Saul Alvarez-Liam Smith undercard.
Saunders was expected to appear on the same bill as Smith's own WBO light-middleweight title defence against Mexican star Alvarez, but has been unable to agree an opponent for September 17.
Rosado was one of the potential names on the shortlist and reacted angrily to news that Saunders had dismissed him as a potential foe.
"He shook! I signed my contract a week ago…We ready," tweeted the Philadelphia fighter, who has suffered stoppage defeats to Gennady Golovkin and former WBO champion Peter Quillin.
"Excuses in why he turned down the fight are pathetic. #CowboyStadium HBO pay-per-view, it gets no bigger then that #Coward."
However, Saunders insists he was not offered his preferred opponent by promoters and poured scorn on Rosado, who has lost four of his last six fights.
He told World Boxing News: "First of all, Golden Boy didn't get me the opponent that was originally agreed.
"Gabriel Rosado was put to me as an alternative, but in my opinion, I don't gain anything in fighting him.
"But if people really want me to fight Rosado I'd be happy to - but he's a world-class journeyman at best and that's all he is.
"At the end of the day, I'll fight anyone my promoter puts in front of me - but if I had the choice it wouldn't be someone like Rosado who would get beat again and my name wouldn't get any bigger from it.
"Personally, I don't think there's one single middleweight in the US that would beat me and that's why Rosado doesn't appeal to me."
