WBAnews

By Robert Ecksel

The World Boxing Association Championships Committee has granted special permission to newly crowned WBA World super featherweight champion Jason Sosa (19-1-4, 15 KOs), the Cinderella Man fighting out of Camden, New Jersey, to defend his title for the first time against undefeated Gervonta Davis (16-0, 15 KOs), the hard-hitting southpaw from Baltimore, Maryland, on October 22.

The mandatory between Sosa and WBA Super World super featherweight champion Jezreel Corrales, who upset longtime champion Takashi Uchiyama in April, is still in the cards.

Sosa won the WBA World super featherweight title on June 24 at the Capital Gym in Beijing, China, with a come-from-behind TKO victory over reigning and defending champion Javier Fortuna. Sosa was down in the sixth and behind on all three scorecards when he landed a picture perfect right hand to end it at 0:45 of round 11.

WBA #10 ranked Gervonta Davis turned pro in 2013 and established himself as a knockout artist from the start. With a 94 percent KO ratio and youth on his side (Davis is 21, whereas Sosa is 28) it should be an interesting fight. But Davis is taking a big step up in class against a fighter who fought Nicholas Walters to a majority draw in December 2015, before winning the title in Beijing two months ago.