Sosa Upsets Fortuna in Beijing

Round 10 was a thing of beauty. With Sosa way behind on points, he dropped the champ. (Photo: Sumio Yamada)

Friday night at the Capital Gym in Beijing, China, Jason Sosa (19-1-4, 15 KOs), ranked #8 by the WBA, made the long and arduous journey from Camden, New Jersey, all the way to the other side of the world to dethrone unbeaten Javier Fortuna (29-1-1, 21 KOs), from the Dominican Republic, at 0:25 of the 11th round, to win the WBA World super featherweight title.

With upset in mind, Sosa was confident coming in, and that confidence paid off big time with a come-from-behind when all appeared to be lost.

Fortuna is skilled. He’s a fine boxer. He’s a veteran. He knows every trick in the book. For most of the fight he made Sosa look like an amateur. And while boxing is a skill and not a strength sport, it’s a game where power rules.

Round 10 was a thing of beauty. With Sosa way behind on points, he dropped the champ. Fortuna was dazed. He beat the count, but he spat out his mouthpiece and lost a point as the round ended.

Entering the championship rounds, Fortuna’s Waterloo was just around the corner. Sosa smelled blood. He could taste victory. He dropped Fortuna a second time. He again got to his feet, the heart of a champion beats strong, but he was hurt and the referee, Raul Caiz Jr., wisely waved it off.