After running into an uppercut from Jesse Brinkley in the quarter finals despite having had the upper hand with his characteristically aggressive boxing style was knocked into a daze, and found himself flat on the canvas.
He injected new life in his career on January 12, 2007, with a ten-round unanimous decision win over archrival Matt Vanda for the Minnesota state middleweight title and vacant IBA Americas belt, before a big crowd of 8,872 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
He lost a technical decision to John Duddy on March 16 at Madison Square Garden, after referee Steve Smoger judged him unable to continue after the ninth round due to a cut from an earlier accidental headbutt.
ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Atlas commented that Bonsante may have been playing possum by pretending to be knocked out, but miscalculated the referee's reaction.
On January 20, 2009, it was announced that Bonsante would defend his Minnesota middleweight title against challenger Andy Kolle at Grand Casino Hinckley on March 27 of the same year.