22.10 - The big question is, will the referee signal for the bell to start the fight or will he yell "Play Ball!?"

Dominican national lightweight champion VICTORIANO SOSA predicted a "home run-style" knockout against former WBU champion ANGEL MANFREDY when they rumble, Saturday, November 9, on the pay-per-view extravaganza "Real Fights!" at the beautiful Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, WV.

Sosa, the cousin of Chicago Cub home run king Sammy Sosa, spoke today from his training camp outside Chicago to discuss his IBF lightweight title elimination bout against Manfredy.

"My cousin Sammy told me a true slugger -- a Sosa slugger -- will always swing for the fences," said Sosa. "And that is exactly what I am going to do. I am going to knock Angel out of the ring with my 'home run punch.' My trainer and I have been developing it in camp. I just hope Manfredy's head is screwed on tight or it may end up in the bleachers!"

Babe Ruth used to point to where he would hit his homers. What does Victoriano predict in his fight?

"I will knock Manfredy senseless. He is going down in five. And he is going down HARD!"

Sammy Sosa, who has attended Victoriano's fights in the past, is expected to attend.

Sosa, 34-2-1 (24 KOs), the IBF's No. 5-rated contender, has captured the Dominican Republic's national super featherweight and lightweight titles as well as the FECARBOX (Central America and Caribbean) lightweight title. In his sole world title fight, he floored IBF champion Spadafora twice en route to a decision loss in 2000. Since that fight, Sosa has fashioned a two-year, 10-bout winning streak.

Manfredy, 40-6-1 (29 KOs), from Hobart, IN, captured the WBU super featherweight title in 1995 with a seventh-round knockout of Calvin Grove. He held the title for three years, which included seven defenses. His resume boasts victories over Arturo Gatti, Julio Diaz, Ivan Robinson, Jorge Paez and John Brown. Manfredy is currently world-rated No. 4 by the IBF.

The winner of the Sosa-Manfredy title elimination bout will become the IBF's No. 1 lightweight contender and mandatory challenger to the winner of the Paul Spadafora - Dennis Holbaek IBF-IBC lightweight unification bout, which will also be featured on the "Real Fights!" card.