Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
On the December 19 co-main event of Jennings-Ortiz, Nicholas Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) and Jason Sosa (18-1-4, 14 KOs) fought to a controversial majority draw at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.
The 10-round Super Featherweight fight was the co-main event of an HBO doubleheader in the U.S.
In his first fight after vacating his Featherweight strap and moving to 130 pounds, Walters, 29, didn’t use his long reach to fight on the outside the way many with his kind of body would do.
Instead, the native of Jamaica was aggressive from the opening round, and the closed the distance to land quick hooks and right hands on the inside.
Walters’ hooks to the body were especially effective in this fight, though the scorecards suggest a lack of appreciation for his body work.
Sosa, 27, took Walters’ shots well and responded with punches on the inside, but the native of Camden, New Jersey was not as active or effective with his offense as Walters was.
Walters won every round, but the decision nevertheless was a majority draw.
One judge scored the fight 96-94 for Sosa, while two scored the fight a 95-95 draw.
“I really don’t care what he says. I thought I won the fight. I had good rounds and got in some good shots.” – Sosa pic.twitter.com/MdByLtBDnk
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) December 20, 2015
“I really don’t care what he says. I thought I won the fight,” said Sosa, who is co-promoted by veteran promoter J. Russell Peltz.
“I thought I won the fight. I had good rounds and got in some good shots,” said Sosa, though many including HBO unofficial scorer, Harold Laderman, only gave Sosa one round.
“While in the ring, I scored it 8-1-1 for me. It’s Christmas week. I figured he should be given 1 round,” said Walters, who confidently boasted his performance, even thought he did not get the decision he earned.
Walters may look to fight for a world title at Super Featherweight in the new future in a division that includes Takashi Uchiyama and Francisco Vargas.
What did you think about the decision? Will Walters still be a strong force at 130 pounds?
Let us know in the comments section below.
WATCH: Walters lands big body shots on Sosa #TweetReplay #JenningsOrtiz https://t.co/Kezzy3iaKe — HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) December 20, 2015
Update: Here’s what Sosa’s co-promoter, J Russell Peltz, had to say about the yesterday’s fight:
