Jason Sosa Promises “War” And “Classic” Battle Vs. Berchelt on Saturday

Saturday is being owned, by and large, by the Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev scrap, as we count down to the weekend. But in this era, with digital offerings being so copious, and so many platforms in need of content, there are other bouts to look forward to.

Such as, this under the radar special…

Miguel Berchelt, at 36-1, puts his super feather crown up for grabs against the fighting pride of Camden, NJ, Jason Sosa. The 23-3-4 hitter, who has wins over Jerry Belmontes and Stephen Smith to his credit, told me that Berchelt is a “basic fighter, there's nothing special, I can't wait till Nov. 2.”

The 31 year old Sosa has had ups and downs, getting a crown, beating Javier Fortuna (June 2016), and including losing a business he started in Puerto Rico and also getting bested by Vasiliy Lomachenko and dropping a decison to Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2017.

Sosa, whose parents came from PR, looks to stay on the bright side, and focus on positivity; he didn't want to get into the time spent under dark clouds. Was the business situation not a harsh mental drain? He told me no specifics, he said that he took a risk with the business, but he is moving on from that. “I'm a fighter, that's what I do, keep on moving.”

He told Joe Santoliquito how the business deal took a turn. “Yeah, it’s gone, everything, and I mean everything,” said Sosa to RING. He took home a $350,000 payday for the ninth-round stoppage loss to then-WBO super feather beltholder Vasiliy Lomachenko in April 2017, that went up in the air, claimed by hurricane winds.

“Now that I’m down, nobody is around,” he said, before his last bout, when he downed Haskell Rhodes on August 10 in Philly.

Sosa said he lost all his money put into a bar and grill in PR. Funds were injected in, and revenues were solid, though he implied that there was also some mismanagement issues; then, Mother Nature hurled a fierce combo– Hurricane Irma hit in early September 2017, and the bar got walloped. He learned a lesson, in that he realizes he wasn't on site to see how the place was being run. He won't do that again. And, he's focusing on what he does best, which is box. The NJ hitter said that he will be smart on fight night. “When the knockout comes, it comes,” he said, and he isn't going to gun for a stop. Yes, he knows that Berchelt is at the top of the list in terms of connect percentage, so, how will he counter that at Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, CA, on a Top Rank/ESPN card?

“Our game plan is he doesn't last six rounds,” he said, then offered that he was joking. Nah, they want to fight smart, he said, and not let the Berchelt who lands 30.1 punches a round, statistically number one according to CompuBox,  be that busy. He will be one who fights back, and move, too. Sosa wants to control the tone and pace, and that will lead him to 24th win.

He promises a “war,” with that classic Puerto Rican versus Mexican construct. “It's gonna be a classic…I think everybody should tune in to that fight, because you never know what's gonna happen.”

Berchelt-Sosa and the support bout, Jerwin Ancajas-Jonathan Rodriguez, will be televised LIVE on ESPN and ESPN Deportes Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.