TORONTO, ON—After 15 straight victories in his native Mexico, it’s clear that Bryan Acosta is ready to break out.
One of the most promising featherweight prospects in the world, Acosta has made the leap out of his home country and has signed with top Canadian promotion company Lee Baxter Promotions.
Acosta (15-0, 5 KOs) is the latest talent to come out of the boxing hotbed of Sonora, following in the footsteps of Julio Cesar Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo, Orlando Salido and Juan Francisco Estrada. The 23-year old combines the rugged aggression typically associated with boxers from his area with a dazzling boxing ability that has enabled him to climb up the ranks at a rapid pace.
Now, Acosta is ready to break into the world ranks in earnest, and has linked up with Baxter in order to make it happen.
“I am very excited and motivated by this new stage in my career,” said Acosta. “I’m happy to know that fans in Canada will be able to witness my rise to a world championship.”
Acosta is coming off an impressive victory over Diego Chavez in April of 2021, a wide unanimous decision win. He also enjoyed tremendous exposure recently, fighting on the undercard of an exhibition bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Jorge Arce.
In the ring, Acosta borrows influence from fighters like Chavez and Arce, as well as counterpunchers like Estrada.
“My fighting style is a clean, counterpunching style, a clean style where I seek to connect on the best punches and avoid being hit at the same time. My main virtue is my defense, but like all Mexicans, I love to get into the pocket and give the fans what they want to see,” said Acosta.
Acosta is expected to make his Canadian debut under the Lee Baxter banner on March 13 against an opponent to be named shortly. The plan, according to Baxter, is to try to maneuver him towards a world title within the next 18 months.
“Bryan probably has the talent to fight for a world title today, but he’s still 23 years old, and we would rather get him experience against different types of opponents and get him used to fighting away from home before throwing him in the deep end,” said Baxter. “He has a long career ahead of him, and we believe he’s one of the best untapped talents under 130 pounds anywhere in the world. We’re extremely lucky to have him on the roster, and Canadian fans are going to be in for a hell of a show when he’s in the ring.”
Acosta is climbing the ladder in a division topped by many of his fellow countrymen, including Emanuel Navarrete, Leo Santa Cruz, Mauricio Lara and Rey Vargas. According to BoxRec’s computerized rankings, Acosta sits just behind Julio Ceja, the recent world title challenger, in terms of Mexican featherweights.
“By 2023, Bryan is going to be matching up with those big names, and with the fanbase we know he’s going to develop here in Canada, those will be fights that won’t just sell in Mexico, they’ll sell here in Canada,” said Baxter.