Erick Rosa is ready to prove his worth in the junior flyweight division.

The former secondary WBA strawweight titlist will make his 108-pound debut in his next fight. Rosa moves up in weight to face Mexico’s Yudel Reyes. Their scheduled twelve-round bout headlines an April 5 Triller TV show from Centro Olimpico’s Pabellon de Esgrima in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The same venue hosted Rosa’s lone other fight since December 2021, an eighth-round stoppage of Orlando Pino last August 25. The bout took place at strawweight but Rosa (6-0, 2 knockouts), No. 8 at 105, was not permitted to defend his secondary title. He was still mandated to enter a title consolidation bout with Thammanoon Niyomtrong (24-0, 9 KOs). No. 1 at 105.

Several attempts fell flat during their year-plus long debacle. The 24-year-old southpaw eventually gave up and opted to move up in weight.

“This will be his first step to become world champion at 108,” Belgica Peña, Rosa’s promoter and head of Shuan Boxing, told The Ring. “Rosa will fight for the WBA Gold championship. After that, we hope to challenge any of the champions.”

Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) is The Ring 108-pound champ and also holds the WBC and WBA titles. Puerto Rico’s Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs), No. 1 at 108, is the WBO titlist. South Africa’s Sivenathi Nontshinga (13-1, 10 KOs), No. 2 at 108, recently regained the IBF title.

Reyes rebounded from a knockout loss to Oscar Collazo with a knockout victory on May 11 in his Monterrey hometown. The win came two weeks before Collazo (9-0, 7 KOs), No. 4 at 105, won the WBO strawweight title.

The April 5 bout is the second in D.R. for Reyes (16-2, 8 KOs), who defeated Rene Santiago in April 2022. Their ten-round regional title fight took place at this very venue.

All six pro bouts for the 24-year-old Rosa have come in his Santo Domingo hometown and at 105. ‘Mini PacMan’ won an interim WBA title in his fourth pro bout and the WBA ‘Regular’ belt just one fight later.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JakeNDaBox

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