By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten former WBA Featherweight Champion Nicholas Walters of Jamaica is back in the ring this Saturday, December 19th when he takes on Jason Sosa of Camden, New Jersey in a 10-round junior lightweight bout. The card takes place at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and can be seen live in Canada and the U.S. on HBO. There could be some fireworks in this contest since both boxers have just one loss between them and have recorded 35 knockouts in their 48 contests for a knockout ratio of 80 per cent.
The 29-year-old Walters from Montego Bay has a perfect record of 26-0 along with 21 Kos and made a name for himself by stopping Nonito Donaire in the sixth round last year. Walters has won 11 out of his last dozen matches by way of knockout and won the vacant WBA Featherweight Championship back in December of 2012 when the stopped Daulis Prescott in the seventh round. Walters stopped all three challengers in his three title defences over a three-year period. These foes were Alberto Garza along with former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan and Donaire.
Walters stands 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a 73-inch reach while Sosa is 5-foot-5 with a wingspan of 67 inches. Walters also has the edge in power as his current knockout rate stands at 81 per cent while Sosa has stopped 64 per cent of his opponents. If Sosa has any advantage at all it’s the fact that he’s two years younger than Walters. Sosa has boxed 85 rounds since turning pro back in 2009 and Walter has 127 rounds under his belt since 2008.
Walters had a fine amateur career, but at the moment he’s more known for his power than his fine boxing skills. He’s mobile in the ring with good speed and appears to have a solid chin. He lost his title on the weigh scales back in June when he came in a pound heavy for his bout against Miguel Marriaga. However, Walters went on to win by a 12-round unanimous decision. Walters will be a huge step up in class for Sosa, but his power shouldn’t be taken lightly by the ex-champion Walters.
The 27-year-old Sosa enters the fight with a record of 18-1-3 with 14 Kos. His loss came to Treysean Wiggins by first-round TKO in 2010 while his draws were against Jose Ortiz in 2010 and against Angel Luis Ocasio twice in 2012. Sosa has 13 straight knockouts to his name and has won 17 fights in a row. His last loss came to back in 2012. He has good power and is an aggressive boxer and like Walters is exciting to watch. He has the power to do some damage and fans shouldn’t be surprised if they see a knockdown or two along the way.
Prediction
Walters seems to have all of the advantages in this fight such as height, reach, power and experience. As long as he can handle Sosa’s heaviest shots he should come out on top in this contest by decision or late stoppage. But that’s if he can handle Sosa’s power.
