Tag Archives: Rosario

Posted on 05/13/2020

By: Sean Crose

Lightweight Edwin Rosario had just engaged in the fight of his life and had come up short. Or had he? The fighter’s June 1985 battle with Hector “Macho” Camacho at Madison Square Garden had ended up being a somewhat controversial affair, as there were voices claiming that it was Rosario, not the flashy Camacho, who deserved the judges nod after the final bell. Still, it was Camacho who got the decision win – though some say he was never the same after that night – and it was Camacho who got to headline an HBO card several months later in Miami as he took on impressive vet Cornelius “Boza” Edwards for the WBC lightweight crown.

Rosario found himself on that same card, too, however, and it was he who was going to steal the show. For the 23 year old was going to face WBA lightweight champ Livingstone Bramble. The colorful Bramble had made a name for himself by upsetting the popular Ray Mancini back in 1984, then winning a decision after an exciting rematch with Mancini the following year. It’s easy to see how Bramble, the defending WBC champion, could have been viewed as the favorite walking into the ring that September evening. 

Things, however, did not go as planned for Bramble. For Rosario seemed to have no psychological wear and tear after the controversial Camacho bout. What’s more, he was showing just exactly what kind of high end boxer-puncher he was. “Bramble has fought very few fellows,” said commentator Bob Sheridan, “that have the boxing ability of Edwin Rosario.” Still, there was no doubt after the first round that Bramble was very much in the fight. In fact, the opening chapter of the bout looked as if it may have been his. Rosario, however, spurred on by chants from the crowd of his nickname, “Chapo,” was not to be denied.

In the second, Rosario’s shots began to hurt his man. Rosario immediately began moving in, upping the pace and throwing punches with bad intentions. A powerful right sent the defending champion to the mat. Bramble was a tough, game, and valiant fighter, but he couldn’t beat the count. Rosario, who had been a champion earlier in his career, was a champion once again. And although his reign wouldn’t be long – Julio Caesar Chavez battered him for his belt just over a year later – the under the radar lightweight nonetheless showed that he could indeed achieve at the highest levels of the fight game.

Posted on 01/20/2020

by: Hans Themistode

That wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Julian Williams pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 boxing calendar, when he upset then undefeated Jr Middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd in his own hometown. Fast forward one year later, and he is on the other end. Jeison Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KOs) marched into the hometown of Williams and ripped his IBF and WBA Jr Middleweight world titles from him. There was nothing flukey about Rosario’s win either. The better man won. 

Rosario should enjoy his victory, but not for too long. He will have a long list of contenders waiting for him. 

Let’s take a look at who could be next for the newly crowned champion.

Brian Castano

At one point, Brian Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs) was a virtual unknown. A split decision draw against Erislandy Lara, which many felt he won, quickly changed that. Although he didn’t leave with the decision he wanted, the contest did place him on the map as a serious contender. Castano was last seen in November of 2019, stopping Wale Omotoso. If Rosario is as good as he seems, then this is the fight to make.

Tony Harrison

Former WBC titlist Tony Harrison (28-3, 21 KOs)  needs a fight. He put on one heck of a show against Jermell Charlo in December of 2019. Harrison is a bonafide top five fighter in the division. Rosario on the other hand, no one is really sure. 

Now that Rosario holds two major titles in the division, it would lead you to believe that maybe he is the best in the weight class, but other than his fight with Williams, Rosario has fought no one else. There is no need to put the new unified champion in with a soft touch. A matchup with Tony Harrison will allow everyone to see if he really is one of the best in the division. 

Julian Williams

Truth be told, Julian Williams (27-2-1, 16 KOs) doesn’t deserve a rematch with Jeison Rosario. At least not an immediate one. Outside of the fifth round, Williams actually didn’t perform badly. Yet, that aforementioned fifth round was a disaster. 

The only reason why Williams is on this list is because he does have a rematch clause and following that match, he did say that he planned on exercising it very soon. Maybe Williams can prove that it was just a bad night with a win. Or maybe a rematch will only prove that Rosario is here to stay.

Posted on 01/20/2020

By: Sean Crose

“We have absolutely nothing to lose,” Jeison Rosaio’s trainer, Luis Perez said in the leadup to Saturday’s junior middleweight bout between Rosario and WBA/IBF champion Julian “J-Roc” Williams. Unfortunately for Williams, Rosario ended up approaching the fight as if he had everything to lose. Thanks to a serious training camp, an extremely sharp ring performance and some punishing power, Rosario stunned the world by stopping Williams in the fifth round, making the fight an extremely early upset of the year candidate. Fight fans might not have known who Rosario was before this past Saturday, but they certainly will now that he holds the WBA and IBF belts. 

Leading into this weekend, many – if not most – were viewing the match as a tuneup. In fact, Rosario was seen as a disappointment as an opponent for Williams. He was simply that unknown. Couple that with the fact the boxing public was looking ahead to a possible rematch between Williams and Jarrett Hurd, the man Williams won his titles from in a stunning upset of his own, and it’s easy to see why Rosario shook the world with his victory. Yet there had been evidence leading up to Saturday’s bout indicating Rosario was not a man to be taken lightly. 

“This is the time,” Rosario told Fox’s PBC Countdown. “I’m going for what’s mine.” Fighters always say such things – but the accompanying footage of Rosario, his camp life, and his team, indicated something more was in play. Rosario was training out of Miami’s 5^thStreet Gym and was residing monk-like in a humble home away from family and friends when he wasn’t working. A though he came across as extremely disciplined in the footage, Rosario’s team still kept a careful eye on him at all times so that the fighter wouldn’t engage in the easy day-to-day kinds of things the rest of the world does regularly. 

The Williams’ fight was serious business – and Rosario was determined. “It is a fight that seems easy for Williams,” Rosario said on-camera. “When the bell rings the audience will have their jaws drop.”He was only off by four rounds. For it was in the fifth that Rosario, who had been battling Williams neck and neck, landed clean on his man, leading to a series of hard punching moments that led the referee to stop the bout and crown a new junior middleweight king. Credit Rosario and trainer Perez for refusing to settle for the role of easy opponent. 

Posted on 01/19/2020

By: Rich Lopez

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) started the New Year with a possible upset of the year candidate. The card was held at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and televised on FOX. It was supposed to be a homecoming win for local favorite Julian Williams. However, it turned out to be the Jeison Rosario show. 

The upset took place in the main event as Jeison “Banana”Rosario (20-1-1, 14 KO’s) of the Dominican Republic stopped Julian “J-Rock” Williams (27-2-1, 16 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 5th round. Rosario captured the WBA and IBF World Super Welterweight Titles and a new champion was crowned.

In the opening round, Williams started off by establishing his jab while Rosario was the aggressor. Williams had a good round and landed some good right hands on the head of Rosario. Once round two got underway, Rosario cut the left eye of Williams with a left jab. The cut bothered Williams and both fighters started to exchange punches with Rosario getting the better of them. Round three was action packed as both fighters traded punches in the inside. Williams landed more punches than Rosario but it was close. In round four, Rosario was starting to land his jab. In the center of the ring, both fighters traded blows again. Then disaster came for Williams in round five. Rosario landed a right hand followed by a left hook that wobbled Williams. Rosario went for it and threw many hard punches to finish off Williams. Williams grabbed Rosario and fell down. Williams managed to get up but very slow. Rosario went for the finish and landed a right uppercut and then a left hook that staggered Williams again which prompted the ref to stop the fight. 

No complaints on the stoppage as Williams was basically out on his feet. The finish came out at 1:37 of the 5th round. 

Julian Williams defeated Jarett Hurd last year to win the IBF and WBA titles. Once again the championship changed hands and according to the odds makers, it was a huge upset. Rosario was on a mission and trained very hard for the fight and it paid off. An emotional Rosario celebrated his victory while Julian Williams was in shock. Williams did not blame his loss on the cut and he gave Rosario his props for the victory. Williams made Philly proud for putting up a good fight. Jermell Charlo might be the top fighter in super welterweight division but now we have Jeison Rosario to look out for.

In the co-feature, Chris “Primetime” Colbert (14-0, 5 KO’s) of Brooklyn, New York captured the vacant Interim WBA Super Featherweight Title. He won a twelve round unanimous decision over former world champion Jezreel “Invisible” Corrales (23-4, 9 KO’s) of Panama. The fight was a test for Colbert as he faced off against a former world champion. The first round was a feel out round with not much action with both fighters keeping their distance. Colbert moved forward in round two and Corrales landed body shots towards the end of the round. The fight was tactical and the action was slow in round three. Colbert put more pressure in round four and had some better success. Both fighters were landing jabs on each other. In round five, the pace still did not pick up. There was showboating from Colbert and he spend a lot of time switching stances. The pace finally picked up in rounds six and seven. Corrales was starting to land straight left hands to the body of Colbert. As Colbert was the aggressor in the rounds, Corrales did a good job of countering Colbert. In round eight, Colbert started the round well but then the fighters went back to keeping their distance and posing. In round nine, Corrales was firing some good body punches but then started to grab Colbert and used dirty tactics. Colbert broke through in round ten when he dropped Corrales with a left hook and right hand. Corrales managed to get up and finish the round. Colbert picked up where he left off and went right to Corrales in round eleven. Colbert landed a good right hand that stunned Corrales again. Colbert threw a flurry of punches that made Corrales grab again. As Corrales tried to grab, he fell to the canvas and wentout the ropes. It was not a knockdown and Corrales made it back in the ring. In the final round, Corrales just looked to survive and Colbert just boxed his way to the end. The final scores were 116-111, 117-110 (twice) all in favor of Colbert. 

Colbert did not get the knockout like his previous fight but he fought a former world champion that gave him rounds. Styles make fights. The style of Corrales was difficult for Colbert throughout the fight but Colbert managed to figure his opponent out and he closed the show. With the victory, Colbert is in line to face WBA World Super Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz. It might be too soon for Colbert, but he feels that he is ready for the challange. 

In the opening bout of the telecast, top prospect Joey Spencer(10-0, 7 KO’s) of Linden, Michigan, kept his winning ways. Hedefeated Erik Spring (13-4-2, 1 KO) of Reading, Pennsylvania,by a six round unanimous decision. Once again styles make fights and this particular fight hardly produced any action. This was a slow paced fight from beginning to end. In rounds one and two, both fighters did not do much. Spencer did pick up the pace a little in round three and landed a few shots on Spring. The pace was still slow in round four. Spencer came forward but was having a hard time landing clean shots. Towards the end of the round, Spring went forward but he couldn’t land anything either. In round five, Spencer landed a nice right hand and left hook on the head of Spring. In the final round, Spring made an effort to push the action but it was not much. Spencer landed a left hook at the end to close the round. All judges scored it the same at 60-54 for Joey Spencer. 

It was a fight with no action and maybe Spencer could have been more impressive. He looked average in the fight but then again the style of Spring made it difficult to land anything clean on him. 

Posted on 01/16/2020

By: Sean Crose

Last spring, boxing fans were stunned when Julian “J Rock” Williams bested Jarrett Hurd via unanimous decision to win Hurd’s WBA and IBF super welterweight titles. For the 29 year old Williams seemed walking in to be less than a has-been. He was considered a never-was, a fighter who had come close to glory, but had come up short when he faced Jermall Charlo less than three years earlier. Williams surprised everyone by upsetting Hurd, though. What’s more, he went from being an afterthought to a fan favorite, as everyone loves an underdog story. Now, though, it’s William’s who is in the role of defending champion.

Come Saturday night, the 27-1-1 multititlist will be facing the little known Jeison Rosario in a scheduled twelve rounder in Williams’ home town of Philadelphia. At stake are the belts Williams worked so hard to win from Hurd – as well as a chance to meet Hurd again in a high profile rematch. Yet the irony of the situation isn’t lost on Rosario, a 19-1-1 native of the Dominican Republic – for now Rosario is the lightly regarded challenger facing a popular champion. “We actually embrace the underdog role,” says Rosario’s trainer, Luis Perez on a PBC Countdown episode leading up to Saturday’s bout. “We have no pressure whatsoever. We’re coming over there to fight. We have absolutely nothing to lose.”

The product of a lonely, fight-centric childhood, Rosario started boxing when he was 12. Now, in his seventh year as a pro, the 24 year old is preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime. “This is the time,” he says on Countdown. “I’m going for what’s mine.” Training out of Miami’s famed 5^thStreet Gym, Rosario has engaged in a strict camp away from family and friends. Living in humble training quarters away from the gym, the largely unknown contender has been open about the fact he’s willing to sacrifice an easier life in order to achieve his goal of becoming world champion. The disciplined existence gives him confidence. 

“It is a fight that seems easy for Williams,” he admits. “When the bell rings the audience will have their jaws drop.” With the unique nickname of “The Banana,” Rosario shows patience, consistency, a sound defense, and genuine power while in the ring. Whether that will be enough to stop the high octane strength and accuracy of Williams remains to be seem. Rosario, though, is comfortable that the night will belong to him. “History,” he says, referring to his underdog status, “will repeat itself.”

Posted on 05/20/2017

Josh Davis Stops Carlos Rosario at 2300 Arena in Philly Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

King’s Promotions returned to the 2300 Arena in South Philly on Friday night with 8 bouts and 46 rounds. They will be returning on June 24th with former champion Kermit Cintron and Tyrone Brunson.

In the main event lightweight Carlos “Rock Hands” Rosario, 7-2 (4), of Pennsauken, NJ, was down several times before being stopped by Joshua “Dynamite” Davis, 11-1 (5), of Wash. DC, at 1:49 of the seventh round in a scheduled 8.
In the first round it was a feeling out round with Rosario coming forward and Davis countering. In the second round Davis dropped Rosario with a left uppercut to the chin. In the third round it was close with the jab of Davis controlling things. In the fourth round Rosario had swelling under both eyes as Davis wasted little energy picking his shots.

In the fifth round Rosario landed his best punch so far a straight right to the chin of Davis. Rosario was switching back and forth from orthodox to southpaw. In the sixth round a counter lead right by Davis to the chin of Rosario put him down. In the seventh round Davis hurt Rosario having him out on his feet with a right to the chin followed up by a flurry of punches forcing referee Gary Rosato to wisely call a halt.

In the co-feature light heavyweight Amir Shabazz, 4-1 (1), of Philadelphia, lost a disputed decision to Antowyan “Iceman” Aikens, 10-3-1 (1), of Atlantic City, NJ, over 6 dull rounds.

In the first two rounds it was all Aikens with little opposition coming from Shabazz. In the third and fourth rounds Shabazz started fighting back keeping Aikens on the defense. In the fifth round Shabazz continued coming forward though suffering a cut along the left eyebrow.

In the sixth and final round Shabazz kept up what little action there was in this one.

Judge Rubenstein had it 60-54 while Vargas and Poturaj 58-56. This writer had it 58-56 Shabazz.

Lightweight Tyrone Crawley, 7-0 (0), of Philadelphia, shut out Juan Rodriguez, 7-7-1 (5), of Manasa, VA, over 6 rounds.
Judge Rubenstein had it 59-55 while Vargas and Kinney along with this writer had it 60-54.

In the first two rounds Crawley seemed to have a slight edge switching back and forth southpaw to orthodox. In the third round Crawley started putting his punches together with little return from Rodriguez. In the fourth round Crawley continued to move and jab always one step ahead of Rodriguez. In the fifth round Rodriguez had a bloody nose from Crawley’s jabs. In the sixth and final round both let it all hang out. Referee was Bashir.

Super lightweight Steven Ortiz, 6-0 (2), of Philadelphia, scored a pair of knockdowns stopping Hector Rivera, 3-2 (2), of San Juan, PR, at 2:37 of the second round.

In the first round Ortiz had a snapping jab knocking the head of Rivera back. At the bell a left hook from Ortiz on the chin of Rivera dropped him. In the second round Ortiz was landing left hook after left hook until he finally dropped Rivera with one. Shortly after getting up Ortiz landed a right uppercut to the chin causing referee Rosato to stop it. Raul “Chino” Rivas was in the corner of Ortiz.
Lightweight Thomas “T.J.” Velasquez, 9-0 (5), of Philadelphia, shut out survivor Brandon Sanudo, 5-4 (2), of Baja CA, MEX, over 6 rounds.

In the first round the first punch Velasquez landed was a solid jab almost knocking Sanudo down. In the second round Velasquez started landing power shots with both hands hurting Sanudo with a body shot making him start to run around the ring. In the third and fourth rounds Velasquez was chasing Sanudo landing more hard body shots.

In the fifth round Velasquez continued chasing down Sanudo. In the sixth and final round Sanudo did all he could do to survive the body shots from Velasquez when he caught up to him. Referee was Rosato.

Judge Vargas had it 60-53 while Kinney and Poturaj along with this writer had it 60-54.

In the opening bout Welterweight southpaw Vincent Floyd, 3-2-1 (2), of Philadelphia, scored several knockdowns stopping Rafael Montalvo, 3-6 (3), of St. Clair, PA, at 1:26 of the third round of a scheduled 6.

In the first round Montalvo had Floyd out on his feet against the ropes before Floyd was able to spin out of trouble. In the second round halfway through Floyd landed a straight left to the chin of Montalvo and down he went. In trying to get up he fell back again on his butt but did beat the count. Floyd would hurt Montalvo again just prior to the bell. In the third round Montalvo was going to the body side to side when all of a sudden Floyd dropped Montalvo. Upon getting up referee Rosato wisely stopped it.

Super lightweight Titos Gonsalves, 0-2 (0), of Philadelphia, was stopped after a pair of knockdowns by Gerardo Martinez, 1-0 (1), of Phoenixville, PA, at 1:47 of the first round.

In the first round Martinez scored a pair of knockdowns from right hands to the chin of Gonsalves before referee Bashir called a halt. Jimmy Deoria was in the corner of Martinez.

Junior welterweight southpaw Antonio “The Sniper” Allen, 0-6 (0), of Philadelphia, lost a lack luster decision to Demetris Williams, 1-2 (0), Philadelphia, over 4 rounds.

In the first round it was very close with Williams landing a solid right to the chin knocking Allen back several steps. In the second round Allen had a nasty cut above his left eye from a Williams right hand. In the third round a lead right to the chin by Williams rocked Allen. In the fourth and final round of a little action bout it looked like Williams may have pulled out his first win. Bashir was the referee.

All 3 judges Vargas, Rubenstein and Poturaj had it 40-36 as did this writer.

Posted on 05/17/2017

Carlos Rosario and Joshua Davis Headline at 2300 Arena Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

Kings Promotions will be at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia this Friday with an 11 bout card and 60 rounds of boxing. In the main event Carlos Rosario, 7-1 (4), of Pennsauken, NJ, takes on Joshua Davis, 10-1 (4), of D.C. in an 8 round super featherweight bout.

In 6 round bouts will be light heavyweight Amir Shabazz, 4-0 (1), of Philadelphia takes on Antowyan Aikens, 10-3-1 (1), of Atlantic City, NJ.

Lightweight Tyrone Crawley, Jr., 6-0 (0), of Philadelphia takes on Juan Rodriguez, 7-6 (5), of Manasa, VA.

Super lightweight David Gonzales, 8-2 (2), of Philadelphia takes on Darius Ervin, 4-1 (0), of L.A., CA.

Lightweight Steven Ortiz, 5-0 (1), of Philadelphia takes on Hector Rivera, 3-1 (2), of San Juan, PR.

Lightweight Anthony Burgin, 10-3 (2), of Philadelphia takes on tba.

Super featherweight Thomas “TJ” Velasquez, 8-0 (5), of Philadelphia takes on Brandon Sanudo, 5-3 (2), of Baja California, MEX.

In 4 round bouts super featherweight southpaw Vincent Floyd, 2-2-1 (1), of Philadelphia takes on Rafael Montalvo, 3-3 (3), of St. Clair, PA.

Super lightweight Antonio Allen, 0-5 (0), of Philadelphia takes on Demetrius Williams, 0-2 (0), of Philadelphia.
Welterweight Lucas Dos Santos, 2-0 (2), of Miami, FL takes on tba.

Welterweight Titos Gosaves, 0-1 (0), of Philadelphia takes on Gerardo Martinez, 0-0 (0), of Phoenixville, PA. Doors Open at 6:00 PM and First bout at 6:30PM 2300 S. Swanson St.