VERONA, N.Y. -- Former featherweight titlist Nicholas "Axe Man" Walters moved up in weight to junior lightweight and put on a power-punching clinic in what appeared to be a rout of tough Jason Sosa on Saturday night on the Luis Ortiz-Bryant Jennings undercard at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.
In the end, however, the fight was shockingly scored a majority draw, with two judges, Don Ackerman and Wynn Kintz, scoring the fight 95-95, and the third judge, Tom Schreck, scoring it an even more stunning 96-94 for Sosa. ESPN.com had it 100-90 for Walters, who appeared to dominate from the opening bell and put a beating on Sosa.
"They all stink. They shouldn't judge again," said Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, which promotes Walters and Sosa.
Harold Lederman, HBO's unofficial judge, who was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame this week, had it 99-91 in favor of Walters.
Ringside media also had Walters winning by overwhelmingly wide decision.
According to CompuBox punch statistics, Walters landed 281 of 622 punches (45 percent), and Sosa landed 168 of 873 (19 percent). Walters also led 118 to 39 in body punches landed.
"I'm in total shock. I just can't believe it," Walters said. "I was in total control of the fight. He was a good fighter, but I was never in any danger. I was never hurt, and I just can't believe it."
Sosa said he thought he won the fight, even though Walters outlanded him in every round.
"I thought I won the fight," Sosa said. "I was more active, I was more aggressive, I got better shots in, so I'm disappointed it was a draw."
Walters was fighting for the first time since being stripped of his world title for failing to make the 126-pound featherweight limit for a defense against amateur nemesis Miguel Marriaga in June. Walters won the fight handily but saw a planned fall title unification fight against Vasyl Lomachenko go down the drain. So Walters, who claims he can still make 126 pounds, moved up to the 130-pound junior lightweight division to take on Sosa, a hard puncher with limited experience, facing his first quality opponent. It turned out to be a one-sided mismatch.
Even though Walters, 29, of Jamaica, was moving up in weight, he looked like the bigger, stronger fighter. He also had the quicker hands and tagged Sosa with some nice right hands and uppercuts throughout the fight.
By the end of the third round, Sosa's nose was red. Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) continued to land the cleaner, straighter punches and also was relentless with his body attack. Early in the fifth round, Walters rocked Sosa (18-1-4, 14 KOs) with a counter right hand and was in total control.
Walters continued to pour it on in the seventh round, buckling Sosa early in the frame with a right hand. Sosa, 27, of Camden, New Jersey, took a lot of punishment but was hanging in there and giving a great effort, but the chasm in talent was obvious.
Sosa had some success in the ninth round, but Walters closed the round with Sosa on the ropes and eating more punches.
Before the fight, there was talk that the winner could face 36-year-old world titleholder Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19 KOs), of Japan, who has reigned since January 2010 and will defend his belt for the 11th time on Dec. 31 against Nicaragua's Oliver Flores (27-1-2, 17 KOs) in Tokyo.