By Héctor Villarreal
Year 2024 brought with it many challenges for the boxing community of the Dominican Republic but at the same time, after promoting 39 shows in 12 months and a remarkable presence in important events all around the world, it has left a very positive balance, ending December with three world champions and a promising outlook.
Carlos “Caballo Bronco” Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) prepares to defend his WBC middleweight belt on February 22 in Saudi Arabia, unbeaten Alberto “La Avispa” Puello (23-0,10 KOs) keeps being the superlightweight King, also in WBC and Eric “Mini Pacman” Rosa (8-0, 2 KOs) claimed the vacant WBA light flyweight title on December 19 by unanimous decision over Mexican Neider Valdez (14-2-2, 11 KOs).
At age 24, having only 8 pro fights, “Mini Pacman” had win world championships in two different weight divisions and had overcome very difficult obstacles on and off the ring.
He debuted in October 24, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, going directly for both WBA and WBC Latin American titles outpointing Mexican Oscar Bermúdez in a 10-round fight promoted by Shuan Boxing in a “bubble style” event at Hotel Catalonia, Santo Domingo.
In Rosa’s fourth professional bout, already being in the minimumweight world rankings, he fought for the WBA interim championship, winning by unanimous decision over previously undefeated Peruvian Ricardo Astuvilca, just a few weeks before Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, president of the entity, started the elimination of interim belts to avoid excesive criticism.
Instead of losing enthusiasm, Rosa’s team invested on bringing regular champion, Victorio Saludar, of Philippines to the Dominican Republic, where “Mini” defeated him by majority decision on December 21, 2021, to finally become a world titlist with only 5 bouts as a pro.
Erick Rosa did not fight in 2022, despite he signed for a mandatory match against super champion, Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong and traveled to Bangkok, where he wasn’t able to leave the airport because of a consfusing situation involving the local promoter.
After that, “Mini Pacman” was sent to be prepared under the guidance of Cuban Ismael Salas at his gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he gained some muscle and decided to move up to the light flyweight division, where he won by technical knock out over Venezuelan Orlando Pino and claimed the WBA Gold title by unanimous decision over Mexican Yudel Reyes.
After only 8 professional fights, 7 of them for regional or world titles, all of them in Santo Domingo, Erick “Mini Pacman” Rosa has never faced a Dominican opponent, has adapted to all of the unexpected changes around him and had become a very popular and charismatic athlete in his country, joining Carlos Adames and Alberto Puello as the main figures to lead a generation which includes 14 world ranked fighters plus many other rising stars, some of them unbeaten, who had help to create an optimistic atmosphere with better expectations for 2025.
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