21.02.08 – By Jack Crider: What America needs right now is an American Heavyweight Champion. All through the history of boxing America has always had a fondness for the Heavyweight Division. These fans are especially fond of an American Heavyweight Champion..
Over the decades the American public has been spoiled by almost always having the Heavyweight Champion. It is only for brief periods during these eras, did anyone other than a United States citizen hold the Heavyweight Title. America fell in love with such greats as Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Larry Holmes and of course Mike Tyson during America’s reign of Heavyweight Champions.
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Since the Tyson era the United States has for the most part had a void in the Heavyweight Division. Presently the division is composed of all European boxers which the United States still has not embraced.
I truly believe both boxing and the heavyweight division need a new face. One of the new faces who is really starting to bloom is Derric Rossy a six foot three inch ex-college football player from Medford, New York. Rossy of Puerto Rican and Italian decent is one of the best educated, good looking young men in boxing today. Born and raised in New York and got his college education from Boston College playing defensive end on their football team. After flirting with a career in pro football, Derric told his father Carlos, “Dad I don’t want a nine to five regular job.” “I want to be a heavyweight boxer.” To this day his dad is still surprised and very proud of his son’s accomplishments.
Currently Derric sports a (18-1-0) record with 10 knockouts. His only loss was for the USBA Championship to Eddie Chambers last year. In this bout Rossy suffered a broken ear drum and other injuries which short circuited his try for the title. Since the Chambers loss, Rossy rebounded against journeyman veteran Zack Page winning a unanimous decision.
Shortly after the bout with Zack Page, Rossy’s promoter Sal Musumeci was approached by some business people who had connections to the Shaolin Temple in the People’s Republic of China. Both Sal and Derric were invited guest to the ancient secret site of the Shaolin Monks. This invitation took place in September of last year and both Sal and Derric went on this Journey 8,000 miles from their United States home in New York to visit the temple. The temple is an old historic place in China where the monks taught the ancient secrets of martial arts and self defense.
Soon after arriving in China, Sal and Derric were somewhat adopted by the Shaolin Monks. Immediately there seemed to be a mutual love and respect between the two United States citizens and the monks. During the stay, Rossy and Sal both learned a new diet and different ways of traditional exercise plus a completely new perspective on life. Derric stayed for over two months in which time he became both a different person and boxer.
After his return to United States soil both Sal and Derric developed a great love for this area of the world and wanted to return and show the world how Derric Rossy had improved with his new found talents from the Chinese Monks.
On January 26, 2008 of this year Derric and Sal Musumeci’s Final Forum Boxing made boxing history by promoting a Heavyweight Championship for the first time in China. The event took place in the Venetian Arena, and was broadcast live before one-hundred and fifty-million viewers in China. The fight featured former World heavyweight Champion, Ray Mercer taking on Derric Rossy for the WBO/NABO Heavyweight Title, the WBC Asian Boxing Council Heavyweight Title, and the WBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. Looking impressive and winning by a unanimous decision, Rossy is now looking to break onto the scene for a World Heavyweight Title.
It would be a great thing to see an all American young heavyweight at twenty-seven years old challenge one of the current European Champions and bring back the title to the American people. “This could be the American Heavyweight Dream.”