Erick Rosa has received his first taste of conceding hometown advantage.

The concern among the unbeaten WBA ‘Regular’ strawweight titlist and his team is that he actually gets to experience fighting on the road.

krikya360.com has confirmed that Rosa and members of his camp have been detained by Thailand immigration officials upon arrival Monday in Bangkok from Dominican Republic. An issue over the boxer’s visa status threatens to jeopardize his title consolidation bout with WBA ‘Super’ strawweight titlist Thammanoon Niyomtrong, which is due to take place March 1 at City Hall Ground in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand.

“We have been held in detention after 21 hours of traveling here,” Rosa told krikya360.com. “Now they are telling us we might have to return home.”

Inquiries placed by Boxing Scene with representatives from Thailand’s immigration office and from Petpiya Fight Promotions were not immediately returned as this goes to publication. However, Boxing Scene has learned that a contributing issue is the status of Rosa’s visa, which is claimed to be outside the 90-day issuance limit required for Dominican citizens to travel to Thailand.

Alternatively, to Thailand must have “a valid passport for at least 6 months following departure date. It is also recommended that your valid passport have at least 2 remaining unused pages for any necessary entry and exit stamps that may be issued.”

A confirmed travel itinerary and proof of funds and accommodation are also required.

Rosa’s side contends that everything on their end was handled well in advance. However, the response from Petpiya Fight has been slow to the point of unprofessional and perhaps intentional.

“The cheating has already begun,” Belgica Pena, Rosa’s career-long promoter who is also currently detained, told BoixngScene.com. “Our lawyers asked the Thais for all the necessary documentation to enter Thailand in time and they always took three or four days to respond.

“Now we are detained at Thai immigration, and they say that the boxer will not be able to enter.”

A letter from the Thai Boxing Association-Sanctioning Authority was requested by Pena and Rosa through their legal team, which should help resolve the issue. Such action has not yet taken place.

Should the fight proceed in present form, Niyomtrong (24-0, 9KOs) will attempt the 12th defense of what is boxing’s longest active title reign among male titleholders. The 32-year-old from Surin, Thailand upgraded his secondary belt to WBA ‘Super’ champion following a twelve-round win over Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas in June 2016.

Eleven title defenses have followed for Niymontrong, better known in boxing circles as Knockout CP Freshmart. His most recent win came in a twelve-round, unanimous decision over countryman, close friend and former WBC titlist Wanheng ‘TBE’ Menayothin on July 20 in Chonburi, Thailand.

Rosa (5-0, 1KO) will fight outside of his native Dominican Republic for the first time in his ambitious career. The 22-year-old southpaw from Santo Domingo went all ten rounds in his October 2020 pro debut and upgraded to twelve rounds by his fourth pro fight, when he outpointed unbeaten Ricardo Astuvilca to win the now defunct interim WBA strawweight title.

An upgrade to the secondary ‘Regular’ title came in Rosa’s most recent fight, a twelve-round, split decision victory over Vic Saludar in December 2021. He went all of 2022 without a fight, with much of the final three months hoping to lure Niyomtrong to the U.S.

Instead, the ordered title consolidation bout went to a purse bid hearing. Petchyindee Boxing Promotions—the parent company of Petpiya Fight Promotions—posted $140,000, outbidding Shuan Boxing ($122,000) who promotes Rosa and hoped to bring the fight either to D.R. or on a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card in early 2023.

Now there is the risk of the fight not happening at all.

“This is out of our hands,” noted Rosa.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox