Jason Sosa heads to China for first world title shot against Fortuna

Story by John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com
Photos by Darryl Cobb Jr. / dcobbjr.com

Before catching his flight to Beijing, China, junior lightweight title challenger Jason Sosa, 18-1-4, 14 KOs, held one last stateside workout at the Victory Boxing & Fitness Gym in Cherry Hill, NJ on Wednesday.

Sosa takes on WBA champion Javier Fortuna, 29-0-1, 21 KOs, at the Capital Gym, next Friday, June 24th. The fight will be telecast on Chinese TV, but will not be aired in the USA.

Sosa, Camden, NJ, is currently ranked #8 by the WBA, and earned this, his first world title shot, primarily on the strength of his December performance against two-time world champion Nicholas Walters.

Most believed that Walters would blow Sosa out of the ring. However, Sosa surprised everyone in the fight by holding the undefeated Walters to a 10-round majority draw. The moral victory for Jason sent the message that the Camden fighter was ready to take on the rest of the 130-pound division. Now he gets his chance to win the WBA title and keep himself in the mix at junior lightweight.

JASON SOSA: “This means everything. I’m expecting a tough fight from Fortuna, but this fight means everything (to me). It is a once in a lifetime shot. So, I got to go there mentally prepared for everything. There’s a Plan A. There’s a Plan B. There’s a Plan C, a D, and an E. I’m taking this trip all the way to China – 16 hours away – to capture the WBA title. Everybody is going to see a different Jason Sosa.”

Let’s hope that Sosa isn’t too different next Friday night. He has earned a reputation as a busy, crowd-pleaser, and has remained unbeaten for the past six years. Sosa looked to be in shape and ready to go for the biggest fight of his life.

CHINO RIVAS, SOSA’S TRAINER: “I thank the Lord for the great opportunity. He has worked extremely hard for the last five years, and his opportunity is here. We had a great experience with Nicholas Walters. That fight helped him to get to the level he is today mentally. His condition is amazing and his mindset is so focused. Nothing distracts him. Javier Fortuna is a very good fighter – tough, undefeated, a world champion – but I do believe that Jason has fought the better opposition.”

Team Sosa departs for China on Thursday. Watch for a full interview with Sosa during fight week.

To read more about the Philly fight scene – past and present – visit www.phillyboxinghistory.com.