By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten WBC World Flyweight Champion Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua will be making the second defence of his title this Saturday, May 16 when he meets veteran Edgar Sosa of Mexico. The 12-round bout takes place at the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood, California and can be seen across North America on HBO. Fans in the UK can tune in on BoxNation.
The 27-year-old Gonzalez has a perfect mark of 42-0 with 36 Kos and has held world titles in three different weight classes. He’s got more than enough power to handle most opponents and has stopped nine of his past 10 foes. The 35-year-old Sosa is a former WBC World Light-Flyweight Champion and he owned it for a couple of years before losing it to Rodel Mayol of the Philippines via a second-round stoppage. He’ll be entering the ring with a record of 51-8 with 30 Kos to his name.
Gonzalez is a power-punching boxer who likes to let his hands go in quick combinations whenever he sees an opening. He may not be the best defensive fighter in the world, but has a solid chin to absorb shots when he does get tagged. He won the WBC flyweight title when he stopped Akira Yaegashi last September. He defended it two months later by stopping Rocky Fuentes and then beat Valentin Leon by third round TKO back in February.
Sosa is getting on in years, but has plenty of ring experience with 14 world title fights under his belt. He was the WBC junior flyweight champion between 2007 and 2009 after beating Brian Viloria for the crown. Even though Sosa held the belt for just a little over two years he defended it a total of 10 times. He took on WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand in 2011, but dropped a decision in Bangkok. He’s won his last two outings, which were against journeymen Carlos Melo and Omar Salado last year.
Gonzalez will be Sosa’s toughest opponent to date and due to his current age and the fact that he hasn’t always been successful in the flyweight division, he could have his hands full on Saturday. Sosa isn’t expected to win this bout, but as long as he comes to win it should be a decent tilt for the fans. Sosa stands just a shade over 5-feet-3-inches tall and has a 67-inch reach. He’s fought 441 rounds since turning pro back in 2000. He’s been stopped twice, the last time coming in 2009.
Gonzalez is more or less the same height as Sosa at 5-foot-3, but has a three-inch reach disadvantage at 64 inches. He turned pro back in 2005 and has fought 182 rounds. His knockout percentage is 85.7 while Sosa’s is 50.9. This bout is another case of a young, up and coming champion against a former title holder with a more than respectable record.
Prediction
Sosa shouldn’t be underestimated or taken lightly by Gonzalez since he’s a quality opponent with plenty of experience. He doesn’t own the most powerful punch in boxing though and it will be hard to deter the champion from wading in. Gonzalez should wear him down eventually and a stoppage in the second half of the fight should be expected. There’s a slight chance Sosa goes the distance, but either way, Gonzalez will retain his title.
