By Ian S Palmer
This Friday, June 24th at the Capital Gym in Beijing, China we’ll see undefeated WBA Super Featherweight Champion Javier Fortuna of the Dominican Republic defending his crown against eighth-ranked Jason Sosa of the U.S. Fortuna’s last fight took place last September when he beat Carlos Ivan Velasquez by a 10th-round stoppage. Sosa last fought back in December when he fought to a majority 10-round draw drew with former world champ Nicholas Walters of Jamaica. The Fortuna vs Sosa bout can be seen live in the UK on BoxNation.
The 26-year-old Fortuna, who now fights out the U.S., will enter the ring with a record of 29-0-1 with 21 Kos while the 28-year-old Sosa of Camden, New Jersey has a mark of 18-1-4 along with 14 Kos to his name. Fortuna turned pro back in 2009 and has boxed 132 rounds since then. He captured the WBA interim featherweight title in 2012 when he beat Patrick Hyland via a unanimous decision in Las Vegas. He then won the vacant WBA world title in May of 2015 by beating Bryan Vasquez by a 12-round unanimous decision in Brooklyn, New York. He has defended it once against Velasquez.
Fortuna is a southpaw who stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a wingspan of 68.5 inches and has a knockout ratio of 68 per cent. He’s stopped five of his last eight opponents and he has better-than-average power in both of his fists. He also possesses very fast hands and his fine head movement makes him a rather difficult opponent to hit. If there is a knock against the champion it could be that he isn’t the most mobile of boxers as his footwork isn’t always the best. His draw was a 10-round affair against Julio Franco in 2013 and he’s also beaten Cristobal Cruz, Miguel Roman and Abner Cotto.
Sosa also turned pro in 2009 and he has 95 rounds under his belt since then. This will be his first shot at a world title and he’s on a roll with five victories in his past six outings. He also stands 5-feet-5-inches tall and has a 67-inch reach. Sosa’s lone defeat came at the hands of Tre’Sean Wiggins by way of a first-round TKO back in 2010. His four draws came against Walters, Jose Ortiz and two Angel Luis Ocasio. Sosa hasn’t lost in almost six years and he has the power and enthusiasm to go toe-to-toe with his opponents.
Sosa has a lot of heart and would rather slug it out than try to win a decision if possible. He has the chin to try this approach and the power since his past 13 wins have all been by stoppage and his current knockout ratio stands at a decent 61 percent. Sosa may not be as successful with this tactic though since Fortuna’s a bit of a knockout artists himself and also has fine boxing skills to accompany his power.
Prediction…
Fortuna and Sosa are about the same size and arguably have the same power. Sosa’s been stopped once in his career and while he has tremendous determination and heart he doesn’t quite match up with the champion when it comes to boxing skills. Look for Fortuna to keep his belt by decision or late stoppage.
