?MARVELOUS? MARVIN SONSONA RETURNS TO THE GYM ON WEDNESDAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 05 Jan 2015
Lanky southpaw and former WBO flyweight and reigning North American Boxing Federation featherweight champion ?Marvelous? Marvin Sonsona has promised to return to the gym and begin training for a possible North American Boxing Federation title defense in the first quarter of this year.
Promoter Sammy Gello-ani who helped build his career assured the Manila Standard/Viva Sports that Sonsona was booked to fly to Manila on Wednesday to begin training at the gym of Dr. Rajan Yraola in Quezon City under veteran trainer Jun Agrabio.
Gello-ani said he will travel with Sonsona to Manila along with former light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero who will also resume training for a title fight against the winner of the championship bout between Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng and China's
Zou Shiming in Macau on March 7.
Casimero who moved up to flyweight after he lost his title on the scales when he failed to make weight for his title defense against Mauricio Fuentes of Colombia whom he knocked out in the 1st round last December 13 in Manila earned the title shot following his superb 2nd round TKO victory over highly fancied Armando Santos in an IBF title eliminator last December 13 in Mexico.
Gello-ani said he plans to have both Sonsona and Casimero train in Florida and expects both fighters to once again become world champions although Sonsona remains an enigma.
A planned fight against former world title challenger and WBC Silver champion Rocky Juarez scheduled for December 21 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu had to be called off following Sonsona?s failure to report to the gym to begin training despite several promises to do so.
The Juarez fight was to serve as a final eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger?s slot for the title recently retained by Jhonny Gonzalez who hammered ageing veteran Jorge ?Travieso? Arce to score an 11th round TKO which sent Arce into retirement.
Sonsona failed to realize that the Juarez fight was a crucial step in his bid to win a second world title considering his skill and punching power which was premised on the imperative that he trained hard and maintained his focus.
But he failed to do that and international matchmaker and promoter Sampson Lewkowicz?s Filipino partner Samson Gello-ani had provided Sonsona with airline tickets to fly to Manila from General Santos City, not once but twice, yet he failed to take the flight.
Gello-ani who lost his patience with Sonsona whom he helped become a world champion when he dropped WBO flyweight champion Jose ?Carita? Lopez en route to a unanimous twelve round decision in Ontario, Canada to grab the world title, believes that Sonsona is now serious about his career.
However, we recall that just when Gello-ani and Lewkowicz thought Sonsona? career was once again taking off following his sensational 3rd round knockout of former world champion Akifumi Shimoda of Japan in Macau last February 22 which won praise from Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who said his knockout of Shimoda was one of the very best he had ever seen.
The left uppercut which devastated the former world champion from Japan was as perfect as it was vicious and provided an insight into the skill, speed and punching power of the 5?7? Filipino.
In his next fight which was a rematch following his 4th round KO loss in a vacant WBO International super bantamweight title showdown to former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Sonsona dropped the Puerto Rican in the opening round but had to eventually settle for a split decision win last June 7 as the lack of training became evident as Sonsona faded in the championship rounds and often resorted to holding.
The fight which started in sensational fashion ended in disappointment as the hope of a repeat of the Shimoda knockout by Sonsona quickly disappeared.
Sonsona was being matched in a mandatory NABF title defense against undefeated Jayson ?La Maravilla? Velez of Puerto Rico sometime in December but the fight was scrapped because of Sonsona?s failure to train and his handlers refusal to take any chances not knowing what Sonsona would do.
The talented southpaw with a record of 19-1-1 with 15 knockouts is currently ranked No. 2 by the W, No. 4 by the IBF, No. 5 by the WBA and No. 12 by the WBO.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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