At a packed Foxwoods Resort Casino last Friday, a jubilant Charles “Boston Strong” Rosa grabbed the microphone in the center of the octagon, a glittering world championship belt slung over his shoulder.
The new champion offered some heartfelt words to the crowd of fans packed on the other side of the cage.
“My dad told me a long time ago that tough times don't last, tough people last,” Rosa said of Josh “Hook On” Harvey in the first round at Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES). ), he spoke to the audience. Championship lightweight title.
“My life has been a tough road. I've been through a lot. It's all for this moment,” said the 37-year-old mixed martial arts star from Seabrook.
Rosa's life was changed at a young age by the tragic deaths of her two older brothers from drug overdoses.
It's impossible to reconcile such a loss, but with the support of a close-knit family and the sport he accidentally discovered some 16 years ago when he wandered into what he thought was a boxing gym in Florida. , which helped keep him on active duty. the right way.
“This sport saved my life,” said Rosa, a mixed martial artist. “I just fell in love with it. I really feel like it saved my life and gave me a whole new life and a whole new inspiration.”
During his very eventful MMA journey, Rosa has traveled from a makeshift cage in a friend's backyard, to packed stadiums in Mexico and Japan, to a sold-out three-card UFC card with his beloved Boston at TD Garden in Boston. He has fought in every conceivable venue. The Bruins in the stands are cheering him on.
But despite what newspaper clippings and his passport say, Rosa was quick to say Friday's main event in Connecticut was isolated.
“My goal was to be the best, and when you become world champion, you're the best,” said Rosa, who fought on 13 cards in the UFC and also worked as a commentator, motivational speaker and trainer.
“I've fought in all the best venues on the planet, but this venue was so great because it was everyone from home, and it was for me,” said the 24-year-old, who flew to Boston a week early to help his parents. added Rosa, who stayed with him. , Chucky and Mary of Seabrook Beach.
“It felt like a local battle.”
The championship was the ultimate birthday present for his father, who later became one of the first to greet him in the Octagon.
“He wasn't really interested in presents or celebrations,” Rosa said of her father. “So it was special to be able to stand in front of all the people we love and give him the gift of being a world champion.”
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Charles Rosa wins and laps at Foxwoods
The venue was also special to Rosa, as it was one of the first places he saw his uncle, Hampton Falls' Tommy “The Bomb” Rosa, compete.
“They fought two or three times a night,” Rosa recalled of the grueling Toughman competitions in which her uncle competed. When I went to Foxwoods, he was on the posters and in the booklet and that was special. ”
It was almost surreal to step into the cage Friday with his face staring back at the ringside banner, his parents and uncle.
“It's really crazy how things work,” Rosa said. “To be there, to have them all there, and 20-odd years later, to have him sitting there, probably in the same seat that I was sitting in, is pretty special.”
Tom Rosa, who at age 56 still fights two or three times a year, sat in the stands Friday and watched his nephew exchange fists with New England's top lightweight, even before 157 career fights. He also said he was nervous. . The relationship between the two is close. Rosa moved to his uncle's house when his family moved from Peabody to Seabrook. Charles said his uncle was always valuable and always a role model, helping him get through difficult times.
“I watched him grow up and I saw him go through a lot,” Tom Rosa said. “I don't know how to put it into words, but he's a really good guy, a really great guy.
“It was awesome to see him win the title and look so sharp. On the drive home, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, but I didn't.”
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Rosa practiced hard aiming for the “perfect victory”
Rosa (17-8) dropped more than 20 pounds to the legal limit of 155 pounds for the fight, then returned to a more comfortable 172 pounds for the fight. Rosa and his corner were wary of the much larger Harvey. Harvey improved to 8-2 and clearly intended to take the title belt back to Bangor, Maine.
In the early going, Rosa narrowly avoided Harvey's vicious left hook and suffered a bone-shaking collision in the shin, but the tension gradually increased for Rosa. He landed a quick takedown and fought back with a flurry of punches, but the larger Harvey was still starting to get back to his feet.
“I felt his power and I knew I didn't want to go back to these punches and kicks,” Rosa explained.
Instead, Rosa quickly locked her opponent in a submission guillotine (choke) hold, and Harvey succumbed just 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the opening round, handing the coveted world championship belt to Seabrook.
“When people talk about a perfect victory, it was just that,” said Lucas Rosa, thrilled to see his brother make quick work of the dangerous Harvey. “It was perfect and he worked really hard. Charles Rosa, who is focused, is one of the best fighters in the world.
“I don't think even I, who had been training with him all week, realized the magnitude of what he was able to accomplish there. He was a high-level 8-2 guy who was the best in New England. I was a little shocked that we had such a perfect victory.”
Rosa: “I'm at the peak of my career.”
After spending Saturday morning taking photos with countless high school and college friends from Johnson & Wales, where Rosa earned her degree in culinary arts, Rosa returned to South Florida in time for church on Sunday. He then returned to American Combat Gym where he was training Lucas for his professional MMA debut this Friday in Orlando. It's certainly been a whirlwind, and there's no doubt that this title has suddenly opened quite a few doors.
Rosa said he has already spoken with UFC President Dana White and has expressed interest in a possible return. That's just one of several options, including defending his Classic Entertainment Sports (CES) world title or fighting on other MMA promotional cards.
“I'm in position, I've got the ball, I just have to dribble it where I want it to go,” Rosa said.
And at 37 years old, he doesn't plan on stopping dribbling that ball anytime soon.
“Honestly, I feel like I'm at the peak of my career,” he said without hesitation. “I feel better than when I was fighting in the Garden.”
That youthful perspective was further reinforced by a recent conversation with another prominent world champion, former welterweight boxing champion “Irish” Mickey Ward.
“He told me that his two best fights were with Arturo Gatti when he was 37 years old,” Rosa said. He talked about two epic matches called “Battle”. ”HBO.
“He told me I could do it and that I was at the peak of my career,” Rosa said.
Rosa knows his future path will soon become clear, but come Monday night, the former high school hockey standout and avid Boston sports fan has big fish to fry. there was. Rosa left to watch the Bruins' impressive Game 1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
“I hope we don’t get into another fight at the Panthers game,” Rosa said with a laugh Monday afternoon. “Because I’m definitely wearing a Bruins jersey.”