Hector Sosa and Rafael Pedroza are all in on taking a significant step forward in the junior featherweight division.

Sosa and Pedroza will square off Friday night in a compelling clash of unbeaten prospects at the Centro de Convenciones Vasco Núñez de Balboa in Bella Vista, Panama, promoter Sampson Lewkowicz confirmed to The Ring Wednesday afternoon. The 10-round bout will air live on TyC Sports and Panama TV Max (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

“It will be a great fight between unbeaten fighters,” Lewkowicz told The Ring. 

Both Sosa and Pedroza have beaten modest opposition to this point in their career and the winner has the potential to become a legitimate prospect and fight on a bigger platform later this year.

Sosa (13-0, 8 knockouts), who resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina, overcame a knockdown during the final round to defeat Mauro Barrios by unanimous decision in his last bout on February 12. Sosa also scored a knockdown during the fight. 

Prior to Friday’s fight, Sosa’s most notable win occurred on March 20 of last year, defeating once-beaten Ckari Cani Mansilla by split-decision over 10 rounds. 

Pedroza (12-0, 11 KOs) will have a partisan crowd in his corner as he grew up in nearby Panama City, where all of his bouts as a pro have taken place. 

In his last bout on October 15, Pedroza dropped Iwier Henriquez twice en route to a knockout win after the fifth round. The fight was a rematch of their clash in August 2018, which Pedroza won by decision despite getting knocked down in the fifth round. 

The 25-year-old notched a knockout win over former fringe contender Wilner Soto in April 2019. 

Another fighter promoted by Lewkowicz will also appear on the card.

Hard-hitting welterweight Roiman Villa (22-1, 22 KOs) of Rosario, Venezuela, who has won his last three fights, will face Peru’s Jesus Bravo (19-5-1, 17 KOs) in an eight-round bout. Bravo has lost five of his last six bouts. 

Unbeaten welterweight Alexander Duran (20-0, 7 KOs) of Panama City will square off against Ecuador’s Edwin Bennett (15-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round bout. 

Two bouts pitting fighters from Mexico and Panama will also be part of the main undercard.

Luis Robles Pacheco (14-1, 4 KOs) of Mexico City will face Edgar Valencia in an eight-round bout. Valencia (14-5-1, 3 KOs) has not fought since losing by knockout to journeyman Felix Montenegro in December 2019.

Unbeaten junior bantamweight Ramses Perez (8-0, 2 KOs) of Mexico City will square off against Ronal Batista (13-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round bout. Batista has won 10 of his last 11 bouts. 

Amateur fights will round out the card.

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

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