Tag Archives: Jason

Posted on 01/24/2020

By Rich Lopez

Golden Boy Promotions started off the New Year with a bang. They held their first Thursday night card of 2020 at The Hangarin Costa Mesa, California. The card was streamed on Facebook and on DAZN. Quick stoppages was the theme of the night which was headlined by Irish brawler Jason Quigley. 

In the main event, Jason “El Animal” Quigley (18-1, 14 KO’s) of Ireland, scored a 3^rd round stoppage over Fernando “El Cacho” Marin (16-5-3, 12 KO’s) of Mexico, in a ten round middleweight contest. This was Quigley’s second straight win since his defeat to Tureano Johnson last year. It was a quick start for Quigley in the 1^st round. He started to land good combinations on Marin. Quigley then stunned Marin with a right hand which backed Marin against the ropes. Quigley landed hook shots to the head and body of Marin to finish the round. In round two, Quigley started to box and he let Marin come forward. Marin put the pressure but was ineffective. Quigleydecided to get busy again and he landed good combinations again. A hard right hand hurt Marin but the tough Mexican hung in there to finish the round. In round three, Marin started the round coming forward while it seemed Quigley was catching a breather. As Quigley was going back, he landed a hard right hand on the cheek bone of Marin. Marin dropped to the canvas slowly. The ref called the fight off as Marin showed no signs of getting up. The time of the stoppage was at 1:47.

Quigley, who is now trained by former world middleweight champion Andy Lee, called out Jaime Munguia in the post-fight interview. It will be too soon to fight Munguia at this stage but let’s see him climb up the ladder again. Quigley does bring excitement to the ring and we look forward to his next fight. 

The co-feature was an eight round super welterweight attraction.  Ferdinand “Lucky Boy” Kerobyan (14-1, 9 KO’s) of Armenia,scored a 2^nd round stoppage over Azael “Turbo” Cosio (21-8-2, 18 KO’s) of Panama. Kerobyan’s only blemish came early last year when he lost to undefeated prospect Blair Cobbs. Since then Kerobyan finished 2019 with two stoppages and added another stoppage victory to start the year. In the first round, Kerobyan started the round well stalking Cosio. He landedstraight punches to the body and head of Cosio. A hard left jab from Kerobyan dropped Cosio. Cosio got up but Kerobyanmanaged to drop him gain with another stiff left jab. As Cosiogot up, he complained the knockdown was a slip. Kerobyancame out fast in round two, landing punches to the body and head. Cosio kept slipping in the ring and it seemed his shoes were causing him issues. Kerobyan continued his onslaught by landing hooks to the body and head of Cosio. A straight right cross from Kerobyan dropped Cosio which prompted the ref to stop the fight. The stoppage came at 2:07.

Kerobyan will continue to stay busy and will serve as a sparring partner for Jessie Vargas for his upcoming fight with Mikey Garcia. Soon after that, we should see Kerobyan back in action again. 

The opening bout of the telecast was an eight round heavyweight fight. Mihai Nistor (2-0, 2 KO’s) of Romania,blasted out Jaime Solorio (12-4-2, 9 KO’s) of Mexico, in the 1^stround. Nistor was an outstanding amateur with a 138-19 record and fought some of the best heavyweights in the amateur ranks. Nistor won his pro debut by stoppage last month and his secondfight did not last long. In the opening round, Nistor put the pressure on Solorio. Solorio was fighting way out of his weight class and it was apparent he was out of shape. Nistor landed a straight right hand that dropped Solorio immediately. Solorio got up and Nistor went for the finish. Nistor backed up Solorio in the corner and Solorio covered up. Nistor went to the body and then a right hook dropped Solorio for the second time after Solorio threw a wild right hand. Solorio fell to his knees and could not continue. The ref waved the fight and the stoppagecame at 2:24. 

It was a quick night’s work for Nistor and we should expect him back very soon. 

Posted on 11/03/2019

By Robert Aaron Contreras

Again in violent fashion, Miguel Berchelt (37-1, 33 KO) overpowered his opposition in defense of his super featherweight crown, bruising and bashing Jason Sosa (23-4-4, 16 KO) to a fourth-round TKO victory Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Sosa, though, was the first one on the move. He chugged forward in that swarming, squared manner. Both fists oscillating. While the title challenger did force Berchelt backwards, the Mexican champion scored with harpoon jabs. Fighting in reverse, the WBC title holder remained composed.

In the second period, Sosa again brushed Berchelt to the ropes. But returning his way were left hooks. A coupled clinked off Sosa’s dome and he went down. He made it back to his feet, somehow surviving not only the rest of the frame but also a ruckus third round.

Photo Credit: Top Rank Promotions Twitter Account

Berchelt’s momentum grew with the intensity of his attack. Despite Sosa’s being in the center of the ring, Berchelt ripped right and left hooks to the body and head. The formula was simple: right, left hook upstairs followed by a shoveling left to the midsection. Again and again, the combo reeled off.

The fight clearly belonged to the champion. Berchelt, who has held firm of the WBC strap since another bludgeoning performance over Francisco Vargas in 2017, geared up in between the third and fourth rounds to reclaim his green belt for the fifth time.

Sosa did not get the memo. He walked out for the fateful execution with confidence. Soon he met Berchelt with colliding power punches: both men lowering their weight into overhand rights. Berchelt’s blow made Sosa freeze up and drew blood from his left eye.

The two-handed attack continued. Their sequences changing form. Berchelt fired a lead right uppercut to Sosa’s jaw and then shoe-shined curling right and left hands to the head. Just under the one-minute mark, more punches to the face had Sosa’s attention and Berchelt zipped a left dig to the crumbling man’s belly. Sosa collapsed to a knee—eating a quick one-two on the way down for good measure.

Referee Jack Reiss assessed the fallen boxer. After barely beating the count, Sosa was quickly under attack and his corner signaled for the end of the abuse.

The dominant win affirmed Berchelt’s place atop the 130-pound division. Despite calls from fellow super featherweight champions—not in the least being IBF envoy Tevin Farmer—the WBC’s man does not seem to have any unifications on his mind but continually picking off notable names, and delivering crushing knockouts, can still line your pockets in this sport.

The successful title defense extended Berchelt’s 16-fight win streak since a shocking stoppage loss early in the regional ranks. The WBC champion has also knocked out his previous five opponents.

Next up for Berchelt is no secret, after the fight naming countryman Oscar Valdez, who is scheduled for the end of the month.

“I will wait until the Valdez fight, Berchelt said. “If he wants to fight, I’m right here.”

Posted on 08/13/2019

By: Ken Hissner

On Saturday night the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia was the host site for a Top Rank Boxing, Raging Babe Events, and Peltz Boxing Promotions show on ESPN+. The card featured former super featherweight champion Jason Sosa back in Philadlephia for the first time since 2015. He moved up to the main event due to an injury suffered by 2-time world champion Carl “The Jackal” Frampton earlier in the week.

In the main event former WBA Super Featherweight champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa, 23-3-4 (16), 129, of Camden, NJ, stopped Lydell “Hackman” Rhodes, 27-4-1 (13), 130.9, of Las Vegas, NV, at 1:08 of the seventh round.

In the first round Sosa used all his know how as Rhodes did a lot of clinching. Sosa may have hurt Rhodes early making him run and grab. In the second round Sosa continued having his way while Rhodes gave top referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. plenty of work holding.

In the third round it was a big one for Sosa getting in numerous body shots mostly. In the final ten seconds the fans were yelling “Sosa, Sosa!” In the fourth round between getting held Sosa got in more than enough to take the round hurting Rhodes as the ten second left in the round signal went off with Sosa getting in a body shot. Half a minute later a chopping right from Sosa on the head of Rhodes and down he went for a second time. He beat the count of referee Esteves barely.

In the fifth round a vicious left on by Sosa on the chin of Rhodes and down he went barely beating the count of referee Esteves, Jr. In the sixth round Sosa suffered a cut from an accidental clash of heads by his left eye. He controlled the round with a vicious body attack.

In the seventh round referee Esteves, Jr. wisely stopped the beating Sosa was putting on an unwilling Rhodes when the latter’s corner signaled the end.

Featherweight 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Cuban southpaw Robeisy “La Tren” Ramirez, 0-1 (0), 125, of Gulphport, FL, suffered a major upset losing in his debut to an outstanding performance by Adan Gonzales, 5-2-2 (2), 125.3, of Denver, CO, by split decision in 4 with a first round knockdown a big reason.

In the first round a chopping left hand on the chin from Gonzales dropped Ramirez for 8-count. of referee Gary Rosato. Ramirez came back well the remainder of the round. In the second round both boxers had their moments.

Gonzales has surprised the Olympic star showing him no respect and landing the lead right. Gonzales left uppercut has been his best punch so far.

In the third round it was back and forth with each boxer getting their licks in. Ramirez may have pulled it out. In the fourth and final round both had their moments with Ramirez twice rocking Gonzales who otherwise seemed to have an edge but Ramirez may have won the round but seemed to need a knockout.

Scores were David Braswell 38-37 Ramirez, Alan Rubenstein 39-36 Gonzales and Rose Lucenda 40-35 Gonzales. This writer had it 38-37 Gonzales. Gary Rosato was ref. “I won it and give Jesus Christ all the glory,” said Gonzales. In the winners corner was Donald and Juaquin Camarena and Steve Mestas.

Middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga, 12-0 (12), of Brooklyn, NY, 162.3, continued his first round stoppages at 2:24 of the first round over Gregory “Nounou” Trenel, 11-5-2 (3), 162.2, of Dainville, France, in a scheduled 8.

In the first round a right from Berlanga dropped a game Trenel. Upon rising from an 8-count by referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. Trenel was suffering too much punishment when the referee wisely halting the bout for Berlanga’s 12th straight first round ko.

Welterweight Olympian Paul “The Punisher” Kroll, 5-0 (4), 147.9, of Philadelphia, PA, defeated Shinard Bunch, 2-1 (2), 146.6, of Trenton, NJ, over 6 rounds.

In the first round of a very competitive round Kroll had an edge. In the second round Kroll fought southpaw as Bunch ran and grabbed with Kroll easily winning the round. In the third round Bunch landed a right to the chin of Kroll making him go back to orthodox. Kroll went on to control the round.

In the fourth round a Kroll 3-punch combination rocking Bunch against the ropes highlighted the round. In the fifth round Bunch did more holding getting in a couple shots to the chin of Kroll who had much too much ammo for Bunch who spent more time bending over. In the sixth and final round Kroll landed a 4-punch combination. Bunch in only his third fight should have never jumped into a 6 especially with a seasoned former amateur star like Kroll.

Scores 58-56 by Weisfeld and Braswell while Rubenstein had it 59-55 as did this writer.

Heavyweight prospect Sonny “The Bronco” Conto, 4-0 (3), 214.5, of South Philadelphia, PA, easily defeated Guillermo Del Rio, 2-3-1 (2), 225.5, of So. Houston, TX, over 4 rounds scoring a knockdown.

In the first round it was all the taller Conto teeing off on Del Rio with shots to the body and head hurting him once with a body shot. In the second and third rounds it was more of the same with Conto dominating a game Del Rio with vicious body work. In the fourth and final round Conto dropped Del Rio with a vicious left hook to the body for an 8-count from referee Esteves, Jr. Del Rio managed to be the first of young Conto’s 4 opponents to last the distance. “It was good for him to get some rounds in,” said Frank Conto.

All four judges and this writer had it 40-35. In the winner’s corner were trainer Mickey Rosati, cut-man Joey Eye and assistant Frank Conto. He’s signed with one of Boxing’s top managers David McWater who was at ringside.
Featherweight southpaw Donald “No Love” Smith, 10-0 (6), 126.5, of S.W. Philadelphia, PA, easily defeated Raheem “Bazooka” Abdullah, 3-3 (0), 124.6, of Colorado Springs CO, over 6 rounds.

In the first round within seconds a lead left from Smith on the chin and down went Abdullah for an 8-count from referee Rosato. The much shorter Abdullah managed to get through the round by covering up but not backing off Smith.
In the second round a lead left from Smith on the chin of Abdullah drove him into the ropes. Midway in the round Abdullah landed a lead overhand right on the chin of Smith. Smith ended the round with a combination to body and head of Abdullah.

In the third round a wild right on the chin from Abdullah made Smiths legs almost give in while in a corner. The rest of the round was interesting between the two with Abdullah pressing forward. In the fourth round midway with Smith doing as much coming forward so far a lead left to the body and following with a right hook to the chin was the most action of the round.

In the fifth round a low punch from Abdullah gave Smith a five minute rest. Referee Rosato deducted a point from Abdullah. When action resumed Smith was throwing more punches than previously in the fight. In the sixth and final round Abdullah ran around the ring content in going the distance with Smith landing some body shots.

Scores were 59-53 by LaRosa and Weisfeld while Rubenstein had it 60-52 as did this writer. Lamar Smith worked corner of Smith.

Super Bantamweight southpaw Jeremy “Majic Hands” Adorno, 2-0 (1), 121.9, of Allentown, PA, stopped Fernando Robles, 2-2 (0), 121, of Pearland, TX, at 2:01 of the third in a 4 rounder.

In the first round it was all Adorno moving around the ring like a veteran boxer controlling with his jab and lead left to the mid-section of Robles who may not have landed a punch.

In the second round Adorno landed a double left to the chin of Robles a minute into the round. Adorno was landing on the chin with both hands. In the final ten seconds Robles landed several body shots.

In the third round after half a minute Adrono went inside and got hit in the eye making him blink repeatably. He then shook it off and continued his attack once he stopped moving. His speed of foot and hanld are to quick for Robles. Adorno was warned by referee Esteves, Jr. about using a straight arm. Before you knew it a wicked right hook ro the body of Robles for the full count. Can’t say Robles didn’t make an effort but Adorno is following in his brother Joseph’s footsteps at this point. It was quite a performancee by the young Adorno. His father-trainer Anibal was in the corner.

Ring Announcer in the preliminaries was Lupe Contreras. Jimmy Lennon did the ESPN+ final 3 fights. Timekeeper Fred Blumsteien.

Top Rank IBHOF team of Lee Samuels and Bruce Trampler were working the show in attendance.
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Posted on 08/08/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Top Rank Promotions will partner with Peltz Boxing Promotions to put on an event at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The main event was originally scheduled to be a featherweight fight between Emmanuel Dominguez and Carl”The Jackal” Frampton, but a freak accident caused a facture in the left hand of Carl Frampton, and that fight had to be scrapped.

The junior lightweight fight between Jason Sosa and Haskell Lydell Rhodes was elevated to main event status and the co-main event will be between Edgar Berlanga and Gregory Trenel in the middleweight division.

Other boxers on the undercard include two time Cuban Olympic Gold Medalist Robeisy Ramirez, as well as prospects Paul Kroll, Donald Smith, and heavyweight Sonny Conto.

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the night.

Edgar Berlanga (11-0) vs. Gregory Trenel (11-4-2); Middleweights

It should probably be noted again that this fight was bumped up to co-main event status after Carl Frampton broke his left hand.

Berlanga is a 6’1 prospect from New York that has stopped every opponent he has faced at this point in his career. He’s a tall middleweight at 6’1 and took second place several times at the National Police Athletic League as an amateur.

Trenel doesn’t have any notable amateur experience. He’s 28 years old and only has three stoppage wins. He has never been stopped in defeat, but has losses to Vincenzo Bevilacqua. Mickael Sanches, Christopher Guedes, and Karim Hayani. None of those boxers are very well known.

Both boxers have been fairly active the past two years. Berlanga fought twice in 2019 and three times in 2018. Trenel fought once in 2019 and three times in 2018. However, Trenel has never fought in the United States before and the combined record of his past two opponents was 13-55-2.

This fight should be a blowout. Anything less than a stoppage victory for Berlanga would be considered disappointing.

Jason Sosa (22-3-4) vs. Haskell Lydell Rhodes (27-3-1); Junior Lightweights

Jason Sosa is a Camden native that formerly held the WBA Super Featherweight Title. He’ll likely have a large contingent of supportive fans in attendance since Camden is a short trip from Philadelphia.

Sosa is the same age as his opponent and will be giving up about two and a half inches in reach but will have an inch height advantage. Both Sosa and Rhodes have not been very active the past two years. Sosa only fought once in 2019 and once in 2018. Rhodes fought three times in 2018, but zero times in 2019 and zero times in 2017.

Neither boxer has an extensive amateur background.

Sosa has gone 2-2 in his past four fights, but two of his losses were to big time opponents. He has losses to Yuriorkis Gamboa and Vasiliy Lomachenko. He also has a loss early in his career to Tre’Sean Wiggins. He has a majority draw with Nicholas Walters and has defeated the likes of Reynaldo Blanco, Stephen Smith, and Javier Fortuna.

Fortuna was the biggest win of his career and he win the WBA Super Featherweight Title in that fight.

Rhodes has losses to Omar Douglas, Edner Cherry, and Sergey Lipinets. His notable wins were against Miguel Huerta, John Nater, and Yakubu Amidu. Rhodes briefly competed in MMA.

Sosa has to be considered a favorite, but Rhodes is a live underdog. The home field advantage should help Sosa on his way to victory.

Posted on 10/19/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions promoted a card at the Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Indio, California on ESPN2. It featured a NABF Middleweight Title bout between Jason Quigley and Freddy Hernandez.

In the Main Event of a NABF Middleweight title defense by Ireland’s Jason “El Animal” Quigley, 15-0 (11), of Woodland Hills, CA, defeated Freddy Hernandez, 34-10 (22), of Mexico City, MEX, over 10 rounds.

Photo Credit: Brandon Magpantay-Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

In the first round Quigley was throwing punches using the jab followed by left hooks and lead rights to the head of Hernandez, who was walking into punches. Quigley landed a left hook followed by a right cross to the chin of Hernandez. In the second round Quigley became even more aggressive against the 39 year-old Hernandez landing jabs followed by rights to the chin of Hernandez. Quigley landed a solid right to the mid-section of Hernandez that was heard throughout the arena. Quigley missed with a right but followed with a left hook to the body. While inside, Hernandez landed a double left hook to the body of Quigley.

In the third round Quigley returning to the ring after a year after breaking his right hand was having no problem landing it. A left hook in the previous round put a mouse under the left eye of Hernandez. Quigley missed a left hook but followed through with a right to the chin of Hernandez. Hernandez just couldn’t contend with the foot and hand speed of Quigley through the first three rounds. In the fourth round Quigley landed a combination to the head but got caught with a solid left hook to the chin from Hernandez. Quigley suffered a small cut outside the left eyebrow. In a clinch Hernandez landed half a dozen left’s to the head of Quigley.

In the fifth round heads clashed with Fernandez coming out of it with a nasty gash on his right eyebrow. The ring physician examined it. It seemed to spur Fernandez on as he had Quigley against the ropes slipping most of the punches by Hernandez. Fernandez countered with a solid right to the chin of Quigley. Both threw left hooks with Fernandez getting there first. In the sixth round Quigley was bleeding from the mouth. Fernandez has been very active since getting cut. Fernandez ended the round with a solid right to the chin of Quigley.

In the seventh round Fernandez landed the first punch a left hook to the body of Quigley. Fernandez had Quigley against the ropes landing body shots while the flood is flowing from his cut. Quigley came back with combinations of his own. Quigley landed a solid right to the head of Fernandez. Fernandez had Quigley against the ropes at the bell. Quigley seemed to be breathing heavy going to his corner while Fernandez seemed fresh. In the eighth round Quigley landed a good left hook to the body of Fernandez. Quigley countered Fernandez well as the latter walked in.

In the ninth round Quigley became more aggressive landing lead rights to the chin of Fernandez. Quigley landed a solid left hook to the chin of Fernandez. Fernandez landed a right to the chin with seconds to go in the round while it was Quigley who landed a hard right to the chin at the bell. In the tenth and final round Quigley landed a solid left hook to the head of Fernandez. Fernandez kept chasing Quigley getting countered. Fernandez landed a right cross in the final minute of the fight to the chin of Quigley. Quigley used his foot speed well in the final round.

Scores were Alejandro Rochin and Zac Young had it 98-92 while Edward Hernandez, Sr. had it 99-91 while this writer had it 97-93.

In the co-feature Welterweight Japan’s Shoki Sakai, 22-9-2 (12), of Mexico City, MEX, lost to Eddie Gomez, 22-3 (12), of the Bronx, NY, over 8 rounds.

In the opening round Gomez was the busier in a feeling out until a minute left in the round when Gomez landed several right uppercuts to the chin of Sakai. A double left hook from Gomez on the jaw of Sakai sent him back several steps. In the second round Gomez landed a lead right to the head of Sakai. Sakai came back stalking Gomez using his jab following him. Gomez countered with a right to the chin as Sakai was coming in. Gomez backed into the ropes ducking a right from Sakai that landed on the top rope.

In the third round Sakai continued to follow Gomez around the ring until Gomez would stop in the middle of the ring when they would exchange punches before clinching. Gomez landed a chopping right to the head of Sakai while inside. Gomez landed a combination to the chin of Sakai. Sakai has thrown few right hands through three rounds. In the fourth round Gomez countered to the body of Sakai while the latter never threw a punch. Sakai missed a left hook while Gomez countered with a left hook to the chin. Gomez continues to slip punches and lands a left hook to the face of Sakai drawing blood from his nose.

In the fifth round Gomez immediately landed a left hook to the chin of Sakai. Sakai missed with a double jab and a follow-up left hook. Gomez countered a Sakai jab with a right to the chin. Gomez landed a double jab followed by a right to the body of Sakai. Just prior to the bell both exchanged jabs. In the sixth round both boxers exchanged left hooks to the chin. Gomez landed a left hook to the chin while Sakai countered with a left hook to the chin. Gomez landed a double left hook to the head of Sakai. Gomez landed a right to the head of Sakai. Gomez was warned by referee Cantu for using his head inside. Sakai finally landed a solid left hook to the chin of Gomez.

In the seventh round Gomez landed a lead right followed by a left hook to the head of Sakai. Sakai landed a rare combination to the body of Gomez. Gomez continues to be a step ahead of Sakai who kept following him. Gomez slipped to the canvas while referee Cantu called it exactly that. In the eighth round Gomez landed a combination starting with the right to the head of Sakai. Sakai was warned for a head butt. Sakai showed a slight cut under the right eye. Sakai ducked into a left hook from Gomez. Gomez landed a roundhouse right and got cornered by a Sakai right to the head just prior to the bell.

The scores were 80-72 by all 3 judges and this writer.
“It was real hard (very emotional having lost his father days before). Daddy took a week off from work to come out here in camp. He would have been proud today. He might not be here physically but will always be with me. Love you Pop’s,” said Gomez.

Posted on 10/15/2018

By: Michael Kane

Jason Quigley defends his NABF Middleweight title on Thursday night against former world title challenger Freddy Hernandez.

The fight will be streamed live on ESPN in the U.S and Eirsport in Ireland.

Photo Credit: Jason Quigley Facebook Page

Quigley signed with Golden Boy Promotion on turning professional and has fought solely in the United States however he moved gyms last year and now trains at Dominic Ingle’s gym in Sheffield, England.

Quigley takes on Hernandez (34-9, 22KO) at the venue he won the NABF title and it is a place he feels comfortable appearing at having done so five times in his career so far. The Irishman feels Fantasy Springs is like a second home now.

Quigley told me, “Fantasy springs is like a home ground to me now, I have fought there 5 times, I am familiar with the setting and look forward to headlining the venue once again.”

Quigley suffered an injury against Glen Tapia, the night he won the title and made his return against Daniel Rosario Cruz in March winning by TKO in the 6th round.

Quigley (14-0 11 KO’s) said he was happy to be back in action, ” Yeah, it was tough being out of the ring for a year but it also gave me the chance to learn so much about myself as a person both inside and outside the ring. When it came to my return I felt like a kid at Christmas, I was just so glad to be back doing what I love.”

While delighted when he defeated Glen Tapia to win the title he feels there is more to come on his journey to the top.

Quigley said, “It was a great feeling winning the belt, it was my first belt as a pro, but I know thats only a small stepping stone towards where I want to get to, which is world champion but of course that would be my most notable win to date.”

Quigley faces a tough opponent in Hernandez and I asked him what he knew of his opponent and he agreed this will be a tough test.

“My opponent is a great fighter, he has been in with some of the best in the world, he has fought for the world title before, this is going to be a great test for me and I am looking forward to that, and coming out victorious.”

Posted on 07/11/2018

By: Oliver McManus

At the top level of the game there are plenty of great fights taking place with Britain blessed to have world champion after world champion but take a step backwards to appreciate the full scene and you’ll find a whole host of tasty match-ups happening at levels of the game –

Jason Welborn vs Tommy Langford

Welborn vs Langford has all the ingredients for a scintillating rematch as the “Battle of the Baggies” moves onto round two (well, technically, rounds 13-24) in Birmingham on September 8th.

First time round in Walsall, Jason Welborn took to the centre of the ring right from the off with an incredible work-rate, targeting the body of Langford whilst the champion, Langford, looked to establish what he believed was his technical superiority.

Both fighters were fast on their feet and willing to trade punches with neither afraid of taking a shot in order to land a flurry of their own and even though Welborn came into the fight the, large, betting underdog, he showed no signs of relenting as went into the championship rounds, staying busy and landing an accumulation of punches.

The fight was up for grabs and in a genuine domestic thriller, Welborn emerged the victor via a narrow split decision (114-113, 114-113, 113-115) and claimed the British Middleweight championship from his rival.

This time round on the undercard of Khan-Vargas, Welborn will be looking to go one step even further than he manged in May and stop Langford within the distance – let’s not forget that Langford was counted in the 2nd round after the ropes had held him up –, enhancing his position as a genuine contender in the packed middleweight scene.

Tommy, on the other hand, will be looking for redemption and bounce back from his second loss in the space of 13 months – the first, a fifth round TKO loss to Avtandil Khurtsidze – with a dedicated, technical performance that, prior to these potential hiccups, had seen him being targeted for an all-British showdown with Billy Joe Saunders.

Indeed Langford wasn’t on his A Game when the first fight occurred, not that we should take any credit away from Welborn, and you could argue that he adapted a little too much to the game-plan of his challenger – stick to the basics, work the jab and that’s when Langford really hits his stride.

Jeff Ofori vs Jumaane Camero

Has this fight been mentioned enough recently? Spot the sarcasm because this fight is, put simply, A FIGHT. One better than that, it’s a fight that you genuinely cannot pick a winner from.

It’s a fight that you don’t want to HAVE to pick a winner from, either, both of these guys are genuine, humble people who haven’t forgotten where they come from. Ultimately, though, on September 15th one of these lightweights will emerge as the Southern Area champion – Camero having defended it successfully or Ofori having mounted a victorious challenge.

Stylistically the two are vastly different with Camero having, typically, been the more patient and measured boxer who likes to control the fight at his own tempo and has quite a unique style but, make no mistake, is capable of packing a whack so you do not want to be on the end of one of those big punches.

As Jumaane says, himself, he is “freakishly long limbed” and possess a style that makes dealing with him incredibly awkward – Ofori, on the other hand, is much more of your typical aggressor, seeking to take each and every fight with a high-tempo, guns-blazing style of boxing.

At the end of June, Ofori faced a tough journeyman, Luke Fash, in full knowledge that this Southern Area fight was to follow and Jeff looked imperious, cutting off the ring really well and attacking the body of Fash with vim and vigour – speaking to Ofori afterwards, however, he said he wanted more rounds to get used to the longer distances, as opposed to his fourth round knockout.

This will be Ofori’s first ten round bout but with both men talking as though they expect it not to last the scheduled distance there is no doubt that September 15th will see fireworks aplenty – Ofori needs to keep up his aggression, work the short uppercut when he’s on the ropes whilst Camero should look to use his awkward style and height advantage to the best of his ability, the styles will mesh and produce a sumptuous bout so all that’s left to do is buy the tickets because you do not want to miss this.

Cello Renda vs Luke Cowcroft

Cello Renda is a man who, for a long time now, has always promised much and whilst he has achieved one hell of a lot – current Southern Area champion, challenged for the English and British belts – there’s been a distinct feeling that, actually, he could be coming into the best years of his fighting career.

A win against Leon McKenzie, last year, re-established himself on the map and look at his record, you’ll see he’s fought Liam Conroy, Jack Arnfield, Sam Horton, Martin Murray, Danny Butler, Tom Doran, Paul Smith and these are not names to be sniffed at by any stretch of the imagination.

But, as mentioned, it was that fight against McKenzie that really seemed to, on paper, ignite something within him as he demonstrated his power, precision and sheer toughness to an absolute tee – Renda was in a war and he came out on top. Since then he’s been targeting the English title that Darryll Williams holds and this fight against Cowcroft is serving as an eliminator for that belt.

Cowcroft, on the other hand, is taking a huge step in quality but Stefy Bull clearly thinks he’s talented enough to carry off an upset and the mood around the Doncaster light-heavyweight is distinctly upbeat and it’s clear to see that he’s improved significantly in the three years that he’s been out of the ring.

Not so much of a power puncher as Renda, Cowcroft has an absolute engine within him and will be looking to out-work Cello, tiring the Southern Area champion, before mounting a late surging attack as he, to boot, looks to prove any doubters wrong.

This fight has all the makings of an absolute classic, Cello Renda looked the best he’s ever looked up against Leon McKenzie, punch-perfect stoppage, and Luke Cowcroft is constantly developing, constantly learning and not just in training but in the ring, too, up against Renda he will need to have learnt an awful lot but if anyone can secure such an upset, surely, it’s the man from Doncaster.

Jazza Dickens vs Martin Ward

A rematch for the vacant British super-bantamweight title, made possible by Thomas Patrick Ward withdrawing from the scheduled fight and opting to fight for the IBF European belt instead.

Jazza Dickens has had a frustrating last couple years following his loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux, a fight that resulted in a broken jaw for Dickens, and was unfortunate last year to suffer a cut above the left eye against Patrick Ward that forced the contest to go the scorecards early – Dickens was trailing but had momentum and the fight was shaping up to be a real pick ‘em with everything likely coming down to the final three rounds.

Since then the Liverpool fighter has looked crisp in training, arguably in the shape of his life, and against Martin Ward, on July 27th, there’s every expectation of a better, more convincing performance than the last time they fought (in 2015).

Three years ago this duo fought the full 12 rounds before a split decision rendered Dickens the winner and, in turn, the British champion – Dickens was the fighter pressing the case and working the angles but a split decision was probably accurate.

With Dickens there is little doubt just how talented a fighter he is and the southpaw possess all the technical traits that could see him go all the way, on top of that he has a brilliant energy, work-rate and stamina that marks him out as a complete fighter just waiting to get tested.

Martin Ward, former British and Commonwealth Champion, is not to be underestimated and the experienced fighter relies on a patient game-plan, looking to take the fight at a constant, comfortable pace, often fighting at distance.

Past performances would suggest that Ward has peaked at around the British level with his previous step up to European level resulting in a second round knockout loss to Abigail Medina – not the greatest of opponent but no-one to discredit – and this fight in Houghton Le Spring will be seen as the 30 year old’s golden opportunity to really propel his name back into the talking.

Dickens would, you assume, prevail in this contest especially if he is to reach the heights he is expected but, as happens time and time again, you can never assume anything in boxing and the winner of this contest, Dickens or Ward, will have a couple of cracking clashes in the offing.

Kyle Yousaf vs Tommy Frank

Stefy Bull has been announcing some really good fights as of late – Atif Shafiq vs Andy Townend, Robbie Barrett vs Matty Fagan – and Kyle Yousaf vs Tommy Frank is part of the stellar card taking place in Barnsley on October 5th.

An application has been made to the BBBofC for this bout to be for the English belt and when you look at the domestic shake-up then there can be no qualms about the fight having such status.

Having the poisoned chalice of competing in the lower weight divisions, Yousaf and Frank have had a criminally small amount of media attention throughout their careers despite them both being absolutely phenomenal fighters.

Yousaf, the more experienced with 13 fights, beholds an impressive fighting brain with his ability to pick punches marking him out at an early stage of his career. Not many fighters, when they first turn pro, are mature enough to identify periods of the bout when they don’t need to come out swinging but Yousaf, still only 25, has frequently shown incredible maturity during the ring.

Against Gyula Dodu there was a punch-perfect display from the Golden Kid as he used his left jab repeatedly to keep on top of his opponent before dropping down to the body with some telling right hands to the body. A superb right to the head of Dodu, launched with exquisite timing and precision, finished off the fight and even though the bout lasted 118 seconds, the talent on show was mouthwatering.

Tommy ‘Super Frank’ is the current Central Area Super Flyweight champion and against Craig Derbyshire, in Frank’s seventh fight, the Yorkshire boxer impressed with his fight pace, going 10 rounds but looking comfortable throughout, and his commanding presence at the centre of the ring enables him to cut space off for his opponent, shortening the distance and letting Frank work the inside of his opponent – something he does particularly well.

When the hands get loose, they don’t half pack a punch and with a strong preference for targeting the body, he knows to pressure the opposition onto the ropes before unleashing with a series of alternating shots to the body.

In terms of power Yousaf probably has the upper hand, that should be evident from his superior knockout rate, but this is a fight you don’t see getting stopped early, it’s an enthralling battle between two young, hungry, undefeated fighters and it has all the ingredients of being an absolute barnstormer.

Posted on 12/21/2017

By: Ken Hissner

New Jersey boxing trainer Raul “Chino” Rivas is one of the most underrated boxing trainers in the country. On November 25th in the co-feature of Kovalev-Shabranskyy main event his boxer the former WBA World Super Featherweight champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa, 20-3-4, of Camden, NJ, lost a highly disputed decision to former IBF World Featherweight and WBA Super World Featherweight champion Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa, 28-2, of Miami, FL, at Madison Square Garden’s Theater in New York City. John McKaie scored it 95-93 and Don Trella 96-92. This writer had it 95-93 Sosa based on scoring a knockdown and Gamboa deducted a point by referee Ron Lipton for holding in the tenth and last round in order to survive the round.

Photo Credit: HBO Boxing

Then on December 9th another one of Rivas’ boxers Philadelphia’s “American Idol” Tevin Farmer, 25-4-1, lost an even more disputed decision to Japanese champion Kenichi Ogawa, 22-1, for the vacant IBF World Super featherweight title at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Events Center, in Las Vegas, NV. Even HBO’s IBHOF judge Harold Lederman who had Farmer ahead 9-3 in rounds as did this writer was stunned at the split decision scoring. Can you imagine a boxer comes over from “Japan” and gets a “gift decision over an American boxer in the US?

This writer asked Rivas to give his account of both fights and this is what he said:

Tough loss for both my guys. But I do know we will bounce back stronger and learn from these experiences. We have no control on what the judge’s see and don’t see. It is only going to make us stronger, wiser and hungrier for our next opportunity. I will admit it hurts when you do win and the judges see it the opposite. Tevin Farmer and Jason Sosa at one time were opponents due to their lack of amateur experience but today with their hard work they have earned the respect of the boxing world and they will be recognized as one of the best before their careers are over.

Thank you to all our supporters who have been with us from the beginning and continue to ride with us and the reporters who give us the platform to express ourselves. Thank you.

I will make Tevin Farmer a champion and Jason Sosa once again. I will make Christopher Diaz a champion.

From what Chino said you know he is a top trainer. He didn’t go off like I did watching both Tevin Farmer and Jason Sosa get robbed. These two along with Chino are three of the nicest boxing people I have gotten to know. They are all winners. I do believe rematches are in order for both fighters!

Posted on 11/21/2017

By: Ken Hissner

Former WBA World Super Featherweight champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa was born in Camden, NJ, twenty-nine years ago says “I will be back!” He went from 2010 to 2017 without losing a fight. He fought to a draw with then unbeaten Jamaican Nicholas Walters, 26-0 to earn a title fight with WBA World Super featherweight champion Javier Fortuna, 29-0-1, in China and behind on points scores an eleventh round knockout to take the title in June of 2016.

In Sosa’s first defense he defeats Stephen Smith, 24-2 in November of 2016. Then comes the money opportunity to fight one of the top two P4P boxers in the world the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and holder of the WBO World Super Featherweight title Vasyl Lomachenko and goes through nine brutal rounds before losing.

Now after seven months of inactivity this past week he receives “The Fighter of the Year” for 2016 at the Philadelphia Briscoe Awards. He is scheduled on November 25th at Madison Square Garden to meet former 2004 Gold Olympic Medalist, WBA Super World & IBF World Featherweight champion who also won the interim WBA super featherweight and lightweight titles in Cuban Yoriorkis Gamboa, 27-2 (17) His trainer Raul “Chino” Rivas also will have two other boxers he trains on the card in Christopher Diaz and Steve Ortiz.

“We have been training for the last month since he came back from Puerto Rico”, said Rivas.

This is to be part of the HBO card that former champion Sergey Kovalev is making a comeback on.

Posted on 04/09/2017

HBO World Championship Boxing Results: Lomachenko Dazzles, Usyk and Gvozdyk Victorious
By: William Holmes

The Theater at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland was the host site for tonight’s HBO World Championship Boxing card featuring three Ukrainians in the televised portion of the card.

This fight was sold out with an announced attendance of 2,828.

The venue is a new one for boxing and there doesn’t look like there’s a single bad seat in the house and the casino, which opened in December, looked exquisite.

The undercard featured several young victorious high level prospects such as Michael Reed, Patrick Harris, and Jesse Hart.

The opening bout of the HBO televised card was between 2012 US Olympian Mike Hunter (12-0) and 2012 Ukrainian Olympic Gold Medalist Aleksandr Usyk (11-0) for the WBO Cruiserweight Championship.

Usyk, as the other Ukrainian boxers, had a very large and vocal contingent in attendance.

Hunter took the center of the ring and Usyk jabbed from the outside in the opening round. Usyk’s first big punches of the night were some straight left hands in the first round, but Hunter’s jabs kept it close and it could have been scored for either boxer.

Hunter had a good second round and was the more active of the two boxers, but Usyk was taking the punches of Hunter well. Usyk pressed forward in the third round and he had the head of Hunter snapping backwards with a lot of his punches that landed in the fourth.

The fifth and sixth rounds were clear rounds for Usyk as he appeared to be wearing Hunter down and landed several hard, clean, combinations that get the crowd to its feet and whistling.

Usyk connected at a high percentage in the seventh round and had Hunter back pedaling. Usyk landed some heavy blows in the eighth round and looked like he was close to sending Hunter to the mat.
Hunter tried to go punch for punch with Usyk several times in the ninth and tenth rounds, but he didn’t have the power nor the accuracy of the Ukrainian boxer.

Hunter was fighting well, but likely needed a knockout in the final two rounds to pull out the victory, but he didn’t fight like he needed a stoppage and seemed content with throwing his jab while never really going for the knockout blow.

Instead it was Usyk who had Hunter staggered and wobbly by the ropes in the final round as he went for the stoppage. Usyk was able to score a knockdown in the final round and he followed it up with a furious rally in an attempt to stop the bout. Hunter somehow stayed on his feet and threw just enough punches to keep the referee from stopping the bout.

Aleksandr Usyk wins the decision with scores of 117-110 on all three scorecards.

The next bout of the night was between Yuniesky Gonzalez (18-2) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk (12-0) in the light heavyweight division.

Gvozdyk and Gonzalez felt each other out by exchanging jabs in the first round and both boxers landed some punches, but Gvozdyk was landing more combinations while Gonzalez was looking for the knockout punch.

Gonzalez spent most of the second round chasing Gvozdyk around the ring while Gvozdyk landed some eye opening combinations.

Gonzalez opened up the third round by throwing everything into his punches but was very wild. Gvozdyk stayed patient and landed short straight right hands that had Gonzalez hurt and followed it up with a combination that sent him to one knee. Gonzalez was able to get back to his feet and ate several hard combinations from Gvozdyk. Gonzalez eventually succumbed to the pressure of Gvozdyk and was sent crashing to the mat.

Gonzalez’s corner jumped up to the ring apron and stopped the bout. Oleksandr Gvozdyk wins by an impressive TKO at 2:59 of the third round.

The main event was between pound for pound superstar Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1) and Jason Sosa (20-1-4) for the WBO Super Featherweight World Championship.

Lomachenko’s legion of supporters greatly outnumbered the fans of Sosa in attendance.

Lomachenko and Sosa fought a near even first round with both boxer showing good head movement and angles.

Sosa did well in the second round and Lomachenko had to complain to the referee about a possible low blow and a head butt. Lomachenko ended the second round strong with a flurry and may have stolen it with that flurry.
Lomachenko showed off his fancy footwork in the third round but Sosa was landing and throwing some good punches of his own.

Lomachenko had a very good fourth round and was landing some incredible combinations from unique angles. He also had Sosa hurt with a hard straight left hand.

By the fifth round Lomachenko was landing his punches at will and they were coming in lightning quick. Lomachenko was toying with Sosa in the sixth round and landed several good body blows.

Sosa, despite his best efforts, couldn’t find his target in the seventh round as the reflexes of Lomachenko just appeared to be too much for him.

Lomachenko battered Sosa in the eighth round and looked close to knocking him down when Sosa’s back was against the ropes. Sosa though showed incredible heart and grit and was able to survive the unbelievably accurate combinations of Lomachenko.

Sosa attempted to bait Lomachenko in the ninth round by willingly eating some combinations and unleashing an occasional bomb, but he was unable to land any punches.

Sosa, who had taken a beating the entire fight except for the opening round, looked like a beaten down man at the end of the ninth round. He would not come out for the tenth round.

Vasyl Lomachenko wins by TKO at the end of the eighth round.

Undercard Quick Results:

Egidijus Kavaliauskas (16-0) defeated Ramses Agaton (17-3-3) by knockout at 2:58 of the fourth round in the welterweight division.

Patrick Harris (11-0) defeated Omar Garcia (6-7) by decision with scores of 80-72 on all three scorecards in the super lightweight division.

Jesse Hart (22-0) defeated Alan Campa (16-3) by TKO at 0:44 of the fifth round in the super middleweight division.

Michael Reed (22-0) defeated Reyes Sanchez (26-10-2) by decision with scores of 99-91 on all three scorecards in the super lightweight division.

Posted on 04/07/2017

HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Lomachenko vs. Sosa, Gvozdyk vs. Gonzalez, Usyk vs. Hunter
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night in Oxon Hill, Maryland the Theater at the MGM National Harbor will be the host site for the next installment of HBO World Championships Boxing.

Three bouts will be televised, including a junior lightweight title fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Jason Sosa in the main event of the night, a light heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Yuniesky Gonzalez, and a cruiserweight title fight between Aleksandr Usyk and Mike Hunter.

The non-televised undercard will feature boxers such as Mike Reed, Patrick Harris, and Jesse Hart.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk (12-0) vs. Yunieski Gonzalez (18-2); Light Heavyweight

The opening bout of the night will be between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Yunieski Gonzalez in the light heavyweight division.

Both boxers have deep amateur backgrounds. Gonzalez was a member of the Cuban Amateur Team and had a record of 345-27. Gvozdyk represented the Ukraine in the 2012 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal.

Gvozdyk has never tasted defeat and will be about three inches taller than Gonzalez. Gvozdyk has also been incredibly active the past two years and four times in 2016 and four times in 2015. Gonzalez fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2015.

Gvozdyk has never tasted defeat and stopped ten of his opponents and currently has six straight stoppage wins. Gonzalez lost twice and went 2-2 in his past four fights.

Gvozdyk has already beaten the likes of Isaac Chilemba, Tommy Karpency, and Nadjib Mohammedi. Gonzalez doesn’t have the resume of Gvozdyk and has beaten the likes of Maxwell Amponsah and Jackson Junior. His losses were to jean pascal and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy.

Gonzalez is a good test for Gvozdyk and this is a rare fight where we see two notable international amateur stars face off in the ring early before their twentieth professional fight. But Gvozdyk is the better skilled boxer and has the bigger wins, he should emerge victorious.

Oleksandr Usyk (11-0) vs. Michael Hunter (12-0); WBO Cruiserweight Title

Oleksandr Usyk is one of the Ukraine’s most prized prospects and he will be stepping into the ring with a former United States Olympian.

Both boxers are undefeated in their professional careers. Usyk has stopped ten of his opponents and Hunter has stopped eight. Usyk will have a slight one inch height advantage but Hunter will have an inch and a half reach advantage.

Both boxers have deep amateur backgrounds, but Usyk experienced a lot of success on the international stage while Hunter experienced success on the national stage. Hunter is a former US National Amateur Champion and represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics but failed to medal. Usyk was a gold medalist in the 2012 Olympic games.

Usyk has defeated the likes of Thabiso Mchunu, Krzystzof Glowacki, and Pedro Rodriguez. Surprisingly, all of his wins thus far in his career have come against opponents with winning records.

Hunter has yet to face any significant opposition and has defeated the likes of Isiah Thomas and Phil Williams.

This should be an easy win for Usyk, despite the fact his opponent has a good amateur background.

Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1) vs. Jason Sosa (20-1-4); WBO Junior Lightweight Title

Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, pound for pound boxer in the world. He fought for a world title in only his second professional fight and is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist and a two time World Amateur Champion.

His opponent, Jason Sosa, has more of a Rocky upbringing in the sport of boxing than Lomachenko. Sosa has no notable amateur achievements on the international stage and was born and raised in poverty stricken Camden, New Jersey. He won a world title with an upset stoppage victory over then WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Javier Fortuna and is now in the biggest fight of his life.

Lomachenko will have about a one inch height advantage on Sosa but will be giving up about an inch and a half in reach. Lomachenko’s lone loss was a disputed split decision loss to an overweight Orlando Salido early on in his career. He has since destroyed every other opponent he has faced.

He has already defeated the likes of Nicholas Walters, Roman Martinez, Suriya Tatakhun, Gary Russell Jr., and Jose Ramirez before he even competed in his tenth professional fight. Lomachenko has stopped five of his opponents.

Sosa has fifteen knockouts to his credit and one stoppage loss. His lone loss was to Tre’Sean Wiggins in 2010, early on in Sosa’s career. He has defeated the likes of Javier Fortuna, Stephen Smith, Jerry Belmontes, Michael Brooks, and Angel Ocasio. Sosa did have a disputed draw with Nicholas Walters, but many felt he lost that fight.

Jason Sosa is a good gritty boxer that consistently puts on entertaining bouts. He has the heart of a champion, but Lomachenko is on a different level than Sosa and that should be immediately apparent.

It’s hard to envision a scenario where Sosa gives Lomachenko problems and this should be a relatively easy bout for Lomachenko.

Posted on 03/24/2017

Golden Boy on ESPN Results: Quigley and Caballero Emerge Victorious
By: William Holmes

Boxing made its return to ESPN last night as Golden Boy Promotions put on a card from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Many boxing aficionados’ are hoping the deal between Golden Boy and ESPN turns out to be successful for both parties as boxing has greatly missed the legendary Friday Night Fights series on ESPN.

The opening bout of the night was between Randy Caballero (24-0) and Jesus Ruiz (36-8-5) in the junior featherweight division.

Despite Caballero’s undefeated record and the eight losses of Ruiz this fight was much closer than expected. Caballero was clearly the better technical boxer, but Ruiz was willing to get in tight and rough up Caballero on the inside. Ruiz had success to the body, but Caballero was landing the cleaner combinations.

Caballero suffered a cut over his right eye in the ninth round from an accidental head butt but it didn’t cause him any serious problems for the remainder of the fight.

The quick and crisp combinations of Caballero were too much for Ruiz to overcome; though no knockdowns were scored in the fight.

Caballero won the decision with scores of 97-93, 96-94, and 96-94.

The main event of the night was between Glen Tapia (23-4) and the undefeated Jason Quigley (13-0) in the middleweight division.

Tapia is known for giving his fans action packed bouts and this one was no different. However, Tapia started off slow and it cost him this bout.

Quigley looked like he may end the fight early and his right hand was finding its target on Tapia’s chin in the opening round and had him wobbled as the round came to an end.

Quigley’s assault continued into the second and third round and he was very effective to the body. But Tapia was able to stay on his feet and fight back and slowly wear down Quigley.

Quigley was taking some hard shots of his own from Tapia and his face was showing the effects of Tapia’s punches. By the eighth round Quigley looked exhausted and Tapia had blood on his face, but Quigley was still out boxing Tapia who at times appeared to be flat footed.

Tapia needed a knockout in the final two rounds to win and he made an honest effort to get it, but it was too little too late as Quigley won the decision.

The final scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92 for Quigley.

Posted on 11/17/2016

Jason Sosa Retains WBA Super featherweight title over Stephen Smith!
By: Ken Hissner

Camden, NJ, resident Jason “Canito” Sosa, 20-1-4 (15) made his first title defense a successful one in Salle des Etoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Saturday night defeating his No. 7 contender the UK’s Stephen “Swifty” Smith, 24-3 (14), over 12 rounds.

It was a hard fought fight with Sosa dropping Smith within seconds of the second round with a left hook to the head. Smith survived but in the third round received a cut just under the right eye brow that bled the rest of the way from a Sosa flurry. Several times the ring physician was called into the ring to inspect the cut. This may have caused Smith to do too much holding throughout the fight.

Early in the fight Sosa was too strong for Smith winning five of the first six rounds. Smith came back to take rounds seven and eight with the ninth close. Sosa finished up like a champion taking the last three rounds.

“He executed everything we worked on. The referee warned him once but should have been more forceful. He’s only had 3 amateur fights. Every time he fights the UK fighter had several hundred fights. It was really a good performance on Jason’s part. We would like to unify by fighting IBF champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza, 22-0” of Puerto Rico. He barely got by Stephen Smith in April of this year,” said Rivas.
Scores of 116-111, 117-110 and 116-112 all for Sosa. In his corner was his trainer and manager Raul “Chino” Rivas assisted by Rashiem Jefferson. At ringside the UK’s Tony Bellew’s had it 8-4 in rounds with the first round even while Dave Caldwell had it 9-3 in rounds. This writer had it 10-2 in rounds.

“Sosa is one of the strongest 130s around if not THE strongest. With only 3 amateur fights he is still learning and has 100% faith in his trainer and in me. He landed some terrific body shots. Smith also landed some good punches and on one occasion he did buzz Sosa but only briefly. Smith also went to the body and was never intimidated but the difference in punching power was obvious. Again, I have to hand it to the WBA for sending 3 judges who were not in the least intimidated by the hundreds of Brit’s screaming every time Smith threw a punch, whether it landed or not. Sosa is the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing….still gets no respect. They keep writing how he got a gift draw with Walters, then trailed big before stopping Fortuna and he was just a 6/5 favorite over Smith. His last 3 fights have been in New York, China and France and the combined record of those 3 guys at fight time was 79-3-1 with 56 KO’s though he went 2-0-1,” said J Russell Peltz.

Smith lost in another title bid in April of this year losing to IBF champion Jose Pedroza at Foxwoods Resort in CT. He has held the British Super featherweight, and the WBC International Silver Super featherweight titles. For Sosa he hasn’t lost in his last seventeen fights which include’s three draws. Right next to Sosa afterwards was his friend and sparring partner Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, who is No. 5 in the WBC super featherweight rankings and Sosa had this to say about Farmer “We train together every day (Cherry Hill, NJ and both trained by Chino Rivas). I have learned a lot from him. I wouldn’t be champ today if it wasn’t for him,” said Sosa.

Afterwards Smith said “I have no excuses. I had a bad start and it cost me. I tried my best but thought I lost. I was forcing the fight after getting cut which is not my style,” said Smith.

Sosa said: “First and foremost I want to thank God. Without Him I wouldn’t be a world champion. I want to thank my trainer Raul rivas, Rashiem Jefferson, Tevin Farmer, Steven Ortiz and Anthony Burgin. “The reason I’m champion today is we put a hell of hard work in the gym. The game plan went the way we practiced in the gym. Every game plan comes out to perfection and that’s why I’m world champion today. (Interviewer: You are a real road warrior) Yes sir I get to tour the world like every world champion should do,” said Sosa. I like traveling the world going into their backyards and sometimes being an underdog. I would like to fight in my home country of Puerto Rico. I hope to fight 3 times next year,” said Sosa.

Posted on 11/06/2016

Jason Sosa – From a Diamond in the Rough to World Champion!
By: Ken Hissner

Several years ago this writer did an article on now WBA World Super Featherweight champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa, 19-1-4 (15), from Camden, NJ. He hasn’t lost a fight in 6 years and that was because he was ill advised though not at his best fighting weight to take on someone 2 weight classes higher than him.
On November 12th Sosa will defend his WBA super featherweight title against Stephon “Swifty” Smith, 24-2 (14), of Liverpool, UK, in Monte Carlo. Smith re-won the vacant WBC Silver title in his last fight after losing in an IBF World super featherweight the previous month. Sosa won the title in June in China stopping previously unbeaten Javier Fortuna in 11 rounds in Beijing, China. This will be his first title defense.

After his only loss Sosa won his next fight he fought a pair of draws with Philly’s Angel Ocasio, 6-0, in Philly at the National Guard Armory with both being majority draws. At Temple University’s McGonigle Hall he stopped Isaac Suarez, 7-1, and followed up in his next fight stopping CT’s own Joseph Perez, 10-1, at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT. He would return to his home state of New Jersey in Atlantic City at Bally’s Event Center and stop Georgian Georgi Kevlishvili, 12-5.

In April of 2014 Sosa scored a knockout over Michael Brooks, 10-1-1, at Bally’s. In March of 2015 he stopped Costa Rica’s Bergman Aguilar, 12-1-1, at Philly’s 2300 Arena. In 2015 he won 5 fights and fought a draw with former WBA Super World featherweight champion Nicholas Walters, 26-0, of Jamaica, at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY. In those 5 previous wins he made his third appearance in Puerto Rico knocking out Jerry Belmontes, 19-7, who in his previous 26 fights had never been stopped.

The draw with Walters earned Sosa a WBA World super featherweight title fight against Javier Fortuna, 29-0-1, in Beijing, China, where he was taking away the belt by stoppage. Sosa has surprised people in the boxing world but delighted his many fans. Take it from this writer that Sosa is one of the nicest young men you would want to meet. His trainer and manager is Raul “Chino” Rivas and they have recently signed with promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank who partners with J Russell Peltz of Peltz Boxing who is an IBHOF promoter who went with Sosa and Rivas to China to win the title.

One of the things remarkable about Sosa is he only had 3 amateur fights. He trained out of Berlin, NJ, and when the gym moved to Cherry Hill, NJ, he moved with them. He is never short of sparring partners. Also training in the gym is No. 6 WBC Philly contender Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, 23-4-1, from Philly who is the NABF champion and fighting for Peltz December 2nd. Another Philly boxer is lightweight Anthony Burgin, 10-2. In the past he sparred with both.

Sampson Lewkowicz has a 3 fight option due to having the former champion Fortuna. Sosa is currently on a 16 fight winning streak.

KEN HISSNER: You have come a long way since our last interview. Have the last two fights increased your confidence immensely?

JASON SOSA: I believe it did by you can’t be too confident. I still have to keep proving myself and we just have more to learn.

KEN HISSNER: You have had 3 fights in Puerto Rico. Did the fans make you feel at home there?

JASON SOSA: Yes Puerto Rico always welcomes me home with open arms. I love Puerto Rico and they love me.

KEN HISSNER: You seem to have a close relationship with your manager and trainer “Chino” Rivas. How long has he trained you?

JASON SOSA: Chino and I have been together for 5 years now and he has taught me so much not only in the boxing world but as a father figure. Our relationship is like father and son.

KEN HISSNER: Have you seen your next opponent Stephen Smith?

JASON SOSA: Just a little for I leave that to the team so they can get me ready for Smith. I don’t do the studying on fighters. What are they going to teach me?

KEN HISSNER: Would you say the Walters fight has been your toughest in your career?

JASON SOSA: On the books it says so but I believe every fight just because of my amateur experience (3 fights) which I didn’t have so many.

KEN HISSNER: How has your sparring been going?

JASON SOSA: My preparation for Smith has been going great. My sparring partners have been great for they push me to the limit. I work with Marcelo, Julian and are the main guys that have been helping me.

KEN HISSNER: You have always been very approachable. I believe this has only added to your popularity. How different has it been since winning a world title?
JASON SOSA: It’s been the same only fighters are now listening to me now and looking up to me as their motivation. If this guy with only 3 amateur fights could do it so can I.

KEN HISSNER: Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. Is there anything you want to say to your many fans?

JASON SOSA: Thank you Ken.

Posted on 07/01/2016

Sosa Dared to Believe
By: Ben Underwood

The site was Beijing ,China , the favourite was Javier Fortuna and the script was ripped apart by Jason Sosa. Although Sosa seemed alarmingly easy to hit and Fortuna was hiding behind his Mayweather- esque front shoulder, it was Sosa who seemed to want it more as he moved forward and put pressure on the relaxed Fortuna from the first bell.

Southpaw Javier seemed to fight with the attitude that he only needed to turn up to win for the first two rounds ,while Sosa was making the most of the opportunity with wild swings and catching Fortuna with the left hook as the latter tried to back off. The WBA Super Featherweight champion suddenly woke up and let his hands go, landing a clubbing right at the end of the second but it was a belated attempt and the bell provided a get out of jail free card for Jason (19-1-4,15 KO’s).

El canito was showing great head movement but it was Fortuna who was taking over and landed a great burst of punches in the fourth making his crude and lunging opponent think. It only seemed a matter of time before Javier (29-0-1,21 KO’s going in) would get to his man and in the fifth, landed a great left hand that he set up from a distracting right hook and felled the brave Sosa that didn’t seem to hurt him too badly. The underdog got up and brushed himself off and immediately set about his work.

By the seventh round Sosa had his best round so far catching Fortuna with straight rights and left hooks, with Fortuna with his jerky movements was looking for that one shot to win in style, this ultimately cost him the round. The contest caught fire in round nine as Fortuna looked to finish Sosa,but after going the distance with Nicholas Walters It seemed that the champion underestimated the toughness of Sosa, as he took all that fortuna could deliver and looked very composed under pressure.By the end of the round both men were exchanging with Javier landing left and rights to Sosa’s head while El canito was landing to both body and head.

The fight was close at this point and by the tenth it was Sosa who ,with his relentless pressure caught Fortuna with a right to the body and a straight right to the head which had Fortuna in all kinds of bother as he went down from a straight right hand. The drama was coming in thick and fast as Javier spat his gumshield to buy some time and the third man in the ring took a point for his troubles. Fortuna looked desperate as he tried to let his hands go and was getting caught in the process by left hooks from Sosa, and by the end of the 10th they were both on the floor as Fortuna did an MMA take down to end the action packed round.

It was the relentless pressure that Fortuna could not get to grips with and right after slashing right were landing and without warning a massive left hook detonated of the jaw of the Dominican Republic native and he fell to the floor. Although he got up he was clearly unsteady as he tried to con Raul Caiz jr ,but the referee made the right decision to wave the fight off and allow Javier Fortuna to fight another night.

Fortuna was making his second defence of the WBA title that he won from Bryan Vasquez and was expected to win. The determination of Sosa is something that cannot be taught in any gym around the world and serves as a testiment to Jason Sosa as he becomes the new WBA Super featherweight champion of the world.