PACQUIAO’S TOWNMATE DEFENDS WBO CROWN SEVEN DAYS AFTER VEGAS FIGHT
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 06 Oct 2009
LOS ANGELES, California – Of the two Filipino world champions who will fight for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles seven days apart next month, WBO super flyweight champion Marvin “Marvelous” Sonsona is the one expected to easily outclass his Mexican challenger in a 12-round duel in Ontario, Canada on Nov. 21.
Manny Pacquiao, Sonsona’s townmate in General Santos City in Mindanao, Philippines, who will tackle WBO welterweight ruler Miguel Angel Cotto, is also favored to hurdle the 28-year-old Puerto Rican speedster but ring experts are not ruling a possible upset win for Cotto when they learned that Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO’s) started training in Baguio City, Philippines only this month for the 12-round world title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada on Nov. 14.
Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) has been reportedly training rigidly since August even before they romped off on a stamina-sapping city-to-city promotional tour in the United States in September as a pre-requisite under the contract they signed with the Top Rank.
Pacquiao, 30, has been installed as solid pick to trounce the many-time WBO 147-lb king from Caguas, Puerto Rico and has set his sight on Floyd Mayweather Jr. who recently repulsed a major obstacle, Juan Manuel Marquez, in his possible multi-million showdown with the Filipino best boxer in the world pound-for-pound next year.
Sonsona is unbeaten in 14 professional fights with 12 knockouts and no draw. He will defend the crown he wrested from Jose “Carita” Lopez of Puerto Rico on Sept. 4 in the same venue at the Casino Rama in Ontario against Alejandro “Payasito” Hernandez.
Oddsmakers do not consider the 23-year-old Hernandez (22-7, 11 KO’s) as a serious threat to Sonsona after they uncovered that he lost his most recent fight on points against Wilbert Vicab for the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight title in Ciudad Nezahulcoyoti, Mexico on September 11.
Despite the defeat, Hernandez was picked to take a shot at Sonsona’s crown.
Hernandez lost his first professional outing by split decision to Jeremias Segovia on April 6, 2002 in Tabasco, Mexico while Sonsona, a southpaw like Pacquiao, beat Ricardo Donaire, cousin of IBF flyweight champion Nonito Jr., on points in a four-round scrapped in his first professional fight on July 7, 2007 at the Ynares Plaza Gymnasium in Binangonan, Rizal.
Born in Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, Hernandez’s shining moment came on February 16, 2007 when he captured the WBO Latino flyweight championship with a 12-round decision against Jonathan Perez.
He lost the crown on a 12-round decision to Carlos Tamara on December 7, 2007 also in Mexico.
When he challenged the 38-year-old Lopez for the WBO crown, it was Sonsona’s first trip outside the Philippines.
CEBU CUSTOMER
Eight of his last nine fights were held in Cebu and among his notable victims were two world class Thai visitors who were badly clobbered and sent to dreamland in violent fashions: Liempech Sor Veerapol who was waylaid in four rounds for the WBO Asia Pacific Youth flyweight title on January 31, 2009 and Wandee Singwancha who was axed in two rounds for the WBO Oriental flyweight belt on May 28, 2009.
The two impressive victories notched for Sonsona an automatic berth at Lopez’s world crown through the help of matchmakers Sampson Lewkowicz, international partner of local fight impresario Sammy Gelo-ani.
Sonsona, regarded as “the next Manny Pacquiao”, impressively humbled the veteran Lopez, 114-111, 115-110, 116-109, after scoring a knockdown en route to snatching the WBO super flyweight throne.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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