HACKENSACK ? Jason Sosa was raised in Camden, so he doesn?t exactly scare easily.
While respectful of undefeated former featherweight champion Nicholas Walters, Sosa isn?t the least bit intimidated by the thought of facing an emerging knockout artist in the biggest fight of Sosa?s career tonight in Verona, N.Y.
Jamaica?s Walters (26-0, 21 KOs) is a heavy favorite entering a scheduled 10-round junior lightweight fight HBO will televise from Turning Stone Resort Casino. He knocked out five-division champion Nonito Donaire (36-3, 23 KOs) in the sixth round 14 months ago to break out of obscurity.
This is undoubtedly the most difficult fight of Sosa?s six-year career.
Sosa (18-1-3, 14 KOs) still is considered a live underdog because he, too, is a powerful puncher and Walters has moved up to 130 pounds, the weight at which Sosa has competed since he turned pro in November 2009.
“Walters was a great champion at 126, but he?s coming into my division,” said Sosa, who trained at Garden State School of Boxing in Hackensack and rented a house in Teaneck while preparing for this fight.
“It?s 50-50. Fifty is his because he has the experience. Fifty is mine because I?m the bigger and stronger guy. But it?s a big factor that he?s fighting a true 130-pounder, and a monster at that. He?s fighting a monster now.”
If Sosa wins, it would be one of the year?s biggest upsets in boxing.
While Walters, 29, was an accomplished amateur, Sosa, 27, didn?t set foot in a since-shuttered Camden boxing gym until he was 19. He went 1-2 during a brief amateur career before making his pro debut.
In his first eight professional fights, Sosa settled for three draws and lost by first-round technical knockout to Treysean Wiggins (7-1, 6 KOs). Since then, the hard-hitting Sosa learned on the job and takes a 13-fight knockout streak into the Walters bout.
“Honestly, if he did his homework ? and he is a smart guy, a smart fighter ? he knows not to come into this fight aggressive,” Sosa said. “He?ll have to be smart and really take this fight seriously.”
Sosa saw plenty of flaws in Walters when Walters boxed his way to a 12-round unanimous-decision victory over Colombia?s Miguel Marriaga (21-1, 18 KOs) on June 13 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
“Marriaga could?ve beat him,” Sosa said. “He just let Nicholas dictate the pace and he picked him apart. You have to have the right game plan for Nicholas Walters. You can?t let him dictate the fight. You?ve got to be smart.
“He is a great fighter. I?m not taking that away from him, but I?m also a very smart technical fighter. I don?t only have power.”
The Walters-Sosa fight is scheduled to air as the opener of HBO?s “Boxing After Dark” telecast at 10:15 p.m. Bryant Jennings (19-1, 10 KOs), a heavyweight contender from Philadelphia, and Cuba?s Luis Ortiz (23-0, 20 KOs) meet in the 12-round main event for the WBA interim championship.
“I?m not sure if the fight is going to go past four rounds,” Walters said.
“It depends if Sosa comes to fight. I?m sorry, but Sosa is not going to do to me what I did to Nonito Donaire or Vic Darchinyan.”
