Juan de la Rosa

Juan Pedro de la Rosa (b. August 7, 1986, Tamaulipas, Mexico) is a professional Afromexican boxer.

He was a contestant on reality TV show The Contender. On the show, he was placed on the East Coast team and fought Tarick Salmaci in the final First Round fight. This bout of Youth versus Experience was won by the young Mexican, although he later drew criticism for allowing himself to be withdrawn from the competition with apparently minor injuries. His withdrawal left room for Ahmed Khaddour to strut his way back into the show. de la Rosa was called 'over hyped' during the contender by Ishe Smith, with Jimmy Lange commenting further directly to de la Rosa's face. Alfonso Gomez had said he would rather have gone out a warrior than a bitch.

Professional career

Since starring on the Contender, de la Rosa's promise has somewhat diminished. Although he has continued to fight, his two losses to Mikel Williams have led some to question whether he has been a protected fighter.

De La Rosa lost to Mexican journeyman Fernando Vela via split decision at the Casa De Amistad in Harlingen, Texas in March 2008. The loss calls into question De La Rosa's prospects as a future boxing star.

External links

* [http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Contender/boxers/juan.shtml Profile from NBC]
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