Edwin Rosario - Later Career and Death

Later Career and Death

Rosario disappeared from the boxing scene, but years later received media attention after being arrested for stealing beer from a supermarket. He vowed to stay clean and 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 Bayamón, Puerto Rico, in a twelve-round decision. Rosario, once an HBO staple, was now fighting on small cards without any TV showings. He was, however, 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.

However, after defeating Sanford Ricks at Madison Square Garden and celebrating his final fight on September 25, 1997 by knocking out Harold Bennett in 2 rounds at Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Rosario died before any more fights could take place. On December 1, 1997, at 7 P.M., Rosario visited the home of his ex-wife and four daughters but cut his visit short an hour later, stating he left ill. Returning home where he lived with his parents, Rosario was found dead in his bed by his father. He died of an aneurysm on December 1, 1997, with fluid accumulated in the lungs, with his history of narcotics and alcohol abuse a factor. Many celebrities and dignitaries attended his funeral, and a group of Puerto Rican world boxing champions were among the pallbearers. More than five thousand people came to the funeral or watched from their homes as the coffin was driven from the funeral home to the cemetery. On January 12, 2006, Rosario was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, thus becoming the sixth Puerto Rican inducted into the hall.

According to Ring Magazine, Edwin Rosario ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time."