Rising star Luis “The KO King” Rosa, Jr. has been named by the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) as the Conn. Professional Boxer of the Year for the second year in a row. The 2015 CBHOF award winners and its Class of 2015 will be honored Friday night, November 13 at the 11TH annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun.
The other 2015 CBHOF award winners are U.S. Olympic Team hopeful Chordale Booker, Amateur Boxer of the Year; boxing judge Glenn Feldman, Official of the Year; trainer Brian Clark, Contribution to Boxing.
CBHOFR Class of 2015 inductees include promoter Lou DiBella, manager/promoter Shelly Finkel former boxing commissioner Peter Timothy and, posthumously, boxer Carey Mace, and trainer/boxer George Russo, boxing writer/manager Mort Sharnik and boxing advocate Arnie Bayer.
The 24-year-old Rosa (21-0, 10 KOs), fighting out New Haven, won all four of his 2015 fights against Giovani Caro (DEC6), Jonathan Perez (TKO5) at the Connecticut Convention Center, Ernesto Guerrero (TKO2) at Mohegan Sun, and Noel Echevarria (KO1). Rosa is the No. 15 rated super bantamweight in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Rosa, native of Puerto Rico, had an outstanding 95-10 amateur record. He turned pro in 2010 and his most notable win to date as a pro was an impressive 10-round decision of Luis Orlando Del Valle (18-1). Rosa trains at his family’s Boxing In Faith Gym in New Haven, where he has grown up.
Booker, who is from Stamford, has already locked a berth in the 165-pound middleweight division U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials, which will determine spots on the 2016 U.S. Men’s Olympic Boxing Team.
Feldman, of Avon, is internationally recognized as one of the best boxing judges in the industry. His selection to judge this year’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight is testimony to his status in contemporary boxing. Feldman has already judged more than 70 fights this year, all around the world in places like Macau and Germany. He has worked more than 135 world title fights during his 25-year judging career, including seven thus far in 2015. One of the founders of the CBHOF, Feldman was the first CBHOF president, serving in that position through last year, and he was inducted into the CBHOF ion 2011.
Clark is the owner of Ring One Boxing gym in New Haven. As a trainer he is credited with the development of former world light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson and amateur star Tramaine “Midget” Williams.
