Camden's Jason Sosa seeks 13th straight knockout
The way Jason Sosa and his trainer, Chino Rivas, see it, Esteban Rodriguez caught a break a little over three years ago.
The way Jason Sosa and his trainer, Chino Rivas, see it, Esteban Rodriguez caught a break a little over three years ago.
Sosa, from Camden, and Rodriguez were scheduled to go six rounds at 135 pounds on a card in September 2012 at Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, but a technicality reduced the fight to four rounds.
"We knocked him down in the fourth," Sosa recalled. "I would have finished him off if it went six."
Since that fight, Sosa, (17-1-3, 13 knockouts) has built up a head of steam, recording 12 straight knockouts. The junior lightweight, ranked 13th by the International Boxing Federation, is coming off perhaps his most impressive showing yet, a first-round knockout of former contender Jerry Belmontes in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, in August.
On Friday, Sosa headlines the Puerto Rican Boxing Classic at the 2300 Arena. Sosa's opponent is Mexico's Jorge Pazos (14-8-1, 8 KOs). Pazos, 26, is a light puncher who has lost five straight.
This does not matter to Sosa.
"I am not looking past anyone who gets in the ring with me," the 27-year-old fighter said. "If you are going to be successful, you have to view anyone as a threat to your dream of achieving your goals in life."
Sosa turned pro at 20 after an unremarkable three-fight amateur career (1-2). He didn't make waves early on as a professional, going 4-1-3 with just one knockout in his first eight bouts. But that all changed when he joined forces with Berlin, N.J., trainer Raul "Chino" Rivas for the Rodriguez fight.
For starters, Rivas felt that Sosa was better equipped to utilize his untapped power at 130 pounds rather than 135. He also wanted Sosa to do a better job of launching his punches from better angles.
"You have to find the right weight for your fighter where he's comfortable and can distribute the most power," Rivas said. "He's learning my system better every time he steps in the ring. You don't learn this stuff over night. But Jason is utilizing it and putting it to work for himself. He's patient and doesn't push for the knockout. But when he sees it he's ready to get it."
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