Edwin Rosario
Rosario defended the title
against fellow Puerto Rican Juan Nazario with a kncokout in eight
in Chicago. In his next defense, he was beaten by Julio Cesar Chavez
in Las Vegas. By the eleventh round, Rosario's eye was almost completely
shut, he was spitting blood from his mouth, and the fight was stopped
by his corner.
Rosario was inactive for seven months then went
7-0 with 6 KO's in his next fights. After Chavez vacated the title
in 1989, Rosario came back and won it again, beating Anthony Jones,
a tough Kronk prospect for the championship.
Rosario joined
a small group of men who had become world champions three times in
the same division. This time however, he didn't hold the title for
long. When he gave Nazario a 1990 rematch at Madison Square Garden,
he was defeated on cuts in the 8th round.
Rosario moved up a
weight class to the junior welterweight division, and defeated defending
world champion Loreto Garza in three rounds in Sacramento's Arco Arena
to become a world champion for the 4th time.
However, personal
problems started to take their toll. In his first defense, against
Japanese Akinobu Hiranaka in Mexico City on April 10, 1992, he lost
by a 1st round TKO. He later lost a rematch to Frankie Randall, by
technical knockout in seven rounds.
Later career and death
Rosario
disappeared from the boxing scene. Years later he recieved media attention
after being arrested for stealing beer from a supermarket. He vowed
to stay clean snd went into a program to achieve this.
In 1997,
he won two comeback fights, then won the Caribbean welterweight title
by beating Roger Benito Flores of Nicaragua in Bayamon, Puerto Rico,in
a twelve round decision. Once and HBO staple, Rosario was then fighting
on small cards without any TV showings. He was ranked #10 among Oscar
De La Hoya's challengers at the welterweight division after his win
over Flores, making him an official world title challenger once again.
On
December 1, 1997, Rosario visited the home of his ex-wife and four
daughters, but he cut his visit short an hour later, saying he felt
ill. After returning home where he lived with his parents, Rosario
was later found dead in his bed by his father. He was found to have
died of an aneurysm on December 1, 1997, with fluid accumulated in
the lungs. Doctors said that his history of narcotics and alcohol
abuse was a factor.
