Pedro Sosa, the South Bronx amateur boxing star who was struck by a car on the Cross Bronx Expressway on Sunday morning, thrown from an overpass and fell 75 feet to the pavement, is in stable condition after a five-hour surgery at Jacobi Medical Center on Monday afternoon.
Sosa, age 19, was in a coma following the horrific traffic incident which claimed the life of his sister Jennifer, age 20. He is still unconscious, but his trainer, Marcos Suarez, told ESPNNewYork.com on Monday night that the surgery went well, and doctors are hoping the fighter will regain consciousness in the next couple days.
Sosa, a top-ranked amateur at 141 pounds who almost made the 2012 Olympic squad, was due to sign a professional contract on Monday with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. Suarez said that he was going to sign a contract in the Manhattan office of noted manager Shelly Finkel, and have his first pro bout in the next two months.
The 43-year-old Suarez said Sosa has broken ribs, and did some damage to his lung and liver. Those injuries aren't deemed severe, he said. Friends and family were all overjoyed to get the results of a CAT scan, which showed no brain damage. Also, his spine was unaffected by the fall and Suarez said it looks like there is no indication that Sosa's ability to move will be hampered.
"The most important thing is his health then God willing he can start little by little maybe in a year or two to train as a boxer," said the trainer, who first began to work with the boxer almost 10 years ago. "He's still young. Pedro Sosa will be a famous champion. He's a special kid. This kid doesn't go out, he's really humble and he never disrespects anybody. He's a different breed, like no other."
Bertha Aracil translated Suarez' Spanish to English.
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