Gadwin Rosa will face George Acosta on May 7, All Star Boxing announced Monday afternoon.

The 10-round junior lightweight bout will take place at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida, and will headline a Boxeo Telemundo telecast (Telemundo, 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).

The Rosa-Acosta bout is an intriguing clash between prospects with the winner taking a step forward at 130.

“We are happy to kick off our Boxeo Telemundo spring series with a great fight,” said Felix Zabala, the president of All Star Boxing. “We have two young, hungry fighters looking to prove they belong at the next level and that will bring out the best in (each other).”

Rosa (11-1, 9 knockouts) is originally from Puerto Rico and now resides in nearby Ocala, Florida. He has not fought since October 2019, when he stopped journeyman Danny Flores in Round 2. The fight took place almost six months after Rosa suffered his first loss at the hands of Sulaiman Segawa (L 8).

“I am grateful for the opportunity to fight in Kissimmee, (which is) so close to my home, and on Boxeo Telemundo,” said Rosa, who is managed by Melvin Rosa. “When I was a kid, people nicknamed me ‘El Abayarde’ because, like a fire ant, when they bite, they burn. In my case, when I hit, I hurt my opponents.”

Acosta (11-1, 1 KO) resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier. On Sunday, he defeated late-sub Edgar Ramirez by decision over six one-sided rounds. Acosta has won his last four bouts since losing by decision to lightweight prospect Ruben Torres in May 2019.

The 24-year-old is not worried about the quick turnaround, glad he was able to get some rounds in before fighting Rosa.

“When we got the call to fight on Telemundo, we got excited but didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” said Acosta, who is trained and managed by Danny Zamora. “I am now ready to face Gadwin Rosa on May 7. We will enjoy my victory and be back in the gym Monday preparing for my fight.”

The fight will also mark the first of four consecutive Friday night All Star Boxing cards that will make up this year’s spring season on the Spanish-speaking network.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @FsalazarBoxing.

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