Nonito Donaire Sr. Discusses Marvin Sonsona's Upcoming Fight

The Boxing Bulletin's Ivan Montiel had a chance to chat briefly with Filipino southpaw Marvin Sonsona's co-trainer Nonito Donaire Sr (pictured) about this Saturday's fight against Mexican Alejandro Hernandez.

Photo © Giordano Ciampini

Ivan Montiel: I've heard Sonsona still has to lose a bit of weight. How's that coming?

Nonito Donaire Sr: Well Sonsona is 6 pounds over at this point in time, but he’s doing just fine.

IM: What do you know about his opponent, Alejandro Hernandez?

ND: We’ve seen his last fight against Wilbert Uicab, and yes sure Hernandez has speed but he lacks power.

IM: What kind of approach will Sonsona bring to the fight this time around?

ND: We will see how Hernandez comes into the fight but it doesn’t matter because Sonsona will counter attack whatever he does.

IM: Sonsona was knocking all of his opponents out and never had gone 12 rounds until his last fight against Lopez. What has Sonsona learned from going 12 hard rounds?

ND: I was surprised that fight went the distance. Lopez got hit a lot yet I believe once this guy gets hit he will go down and out. Sonsona is always ready to go rounds, but with his power he will knock this guy Hernandez out

IM: Any predictions?

ND: I say 4 to 5 rounds so we can go home with no bruises (laughing).

IM: Well señor Donaire thank you for your time, and all the best to Team Sonsona!

ND: Thank you Ivan.

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Marvin Sonsona Gym Workout Photo Gallery

A few days before his title winning effort against Puerto Rican Jose Lopez, 19 year old Filipino southpaw Marvin Sonsona worked out for the fans and media at Toronto's Cabbagetown Boxing Gym.

Photographer Giordano Ciampini was among those gathered to check out the hard hitting youngster as he went through his conditioning drills under the watchful eyes of trainer Jhun Agrabio (center) and co-trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. (pictured left).

Photos © Giordano Ciampini

Click on the images to enlarge.

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The Kid's the Real Deal - Sonsona Decisions Lopez

Andrew Fruman recaps last night's Rumble at Rama IX show.

Photo © Ivan Montiel

Long after his victory over Jose Lopez had ended, young Marvin Sonsona was still signing autographs and posing for photos outside the Casino Rama Entertainment Center. Smiling, but bruised – his left eye had a bump over it, and his right was adorned with a small white bandage covering a single stitch needed to close a cut – the new title holder graciously interacted with the fans still milling about.

He was enjoying the attention, and it had been thoroughly deserved for it had been a grueling give and take battle that after a strong beginning looked to be slipping from his grasp. Lopez had made a valiant charge over the mid to late rounds, and Sonsona appeared to be wavering, but showing poise beyond his years, the 19 year old weathered the storm and buckled down late to cement the unanimous decision win.

Marvin Sonsona Gym Workout Photo Gallery

After a closely fought opening few rounds in which Sonsona had a slight edge, the Filipino southpaw broke through by dropping Lopez along the ropes in round 4 with a big left hand. Lopez made it to his feet, but looked far from steady and was forced to call on all of his ring savvy to escape further danger.

After the fight, Sonsona said he believed he was heading for a knockout win at that point and was surprised by Lopez’ resiliency. He was not alone, as it appeared to just about everyone in the building that the 37 year old veteran was in big trouble and ready for the taking, but instead of folding, Lopez made a determined stand and was gamely fighting back by the end of the round.

Building on his gutsy survival effort in the 4th, Lopez made a good showing in taking the 5th and re-established himself in the fight by battling on level terms through the next two rounds. Then in the 8th, he put together by far his best round of the fight, landing a number of solid hooks and right hands to the body and head, only to lose 2 points in the closing seconds of the frame for what was deemed by referee Rocky Zolnierczyk to have been an intentional low blow.

While Lopez had been warned for straying low in the 6th round, deducting 2 points appeared to be an overreaction on the ref’s part. The punch appeared to land on the hip and did not look like it was purposely thrown south of the border.

Undaunted by the penalty, Lopez continued to have the better of the action in round 9. Grimly determined to hold onto his strap, he kept working hard to the body (which resulted in a couple more low blows) and the steady pressure had Sonsona less willing to engage and starting to look discouraged. Having never been beyond the 5th round, the 19 year old was now fighting only in spurts as his energy levels had dropped noticeably.

The 10th round was a close one with Lopez continuing to press the action, and doing the steadier work, but a couple big flurries from Sonsona indicated he still had something left in the tank.

With the fight hanging in the balance, Lopez came out for the 11th putting the pressure on, but was met by a more willing Sonsona. Having found his second wind, the young challenger let his hands go with more conviction than he had shown in several rounds. Both men had their moments in closely contested frame, with Lopez still plugging away to the body and landing several good right hands, with Sonsona finding the mark with right hooks and straight lefts.

Sonsona was the busier of the two fighters over the final three minutes, as the effects of working so hard to get back in the fight from round 5 on had finally caught up with the older man. The youngster was clearly spent as well, but he dug deep and out-hustled Lopez over the final 3 minutes to take the frame on all 3 judges cards.

The final scores were unanimous in favor of Sonsona, 114-111, 115-110 and 116-109.

The Boxing Bulletin scored the contest 114-111 for Sonsona.

After the bout, promoter Alan Trembley said Sonsona could return to Casino Rama for his first defense, and Sonsona's team indicated it was a very real possibility. The crowd definitely took to the youngster, and with a big Filipino community in the Southern Ontario area, future appearances seem to be a natural fit. The possibility of a double-header involving Steve Molitor was discussed.

In the main supporting bout, the aforementioned Molitor scored a TKO over Dario Azuaga. Towering over the Argentinian, who looked like he belonged a couple weight classes south of the featherweight class, Molitor had his way throughout the bout, landing a number of clean right hooks and left hands.

After dropping Azuaga with a hard straight left in the 4th round, Molitor finished his game but badly over-matched opponent with two more knockdowns in the 5th. The official time was 1:50.

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Rumble at Rama IX: Jose Lopez vs Marvin Sonsona Preview

Andrew Fruman previews tomorrow night's Rumble at Rama IX show featuring super-flyweights Jose Lopez and Marvin Sonsona.

Photos © Giordano Ciampini

Tomorrow night in Rama, Ontario, Canada, Puerto Rican Jose "Carita" Lopez puts his 115 pound WBO strap on the line against Filipino southpaw "Marvelous" Marvin Sonsona. It’s an intriguing match-up featuring a battle hardened veteran going up against a talented but unproven teenage phenom.

The offensive minded title holder brings a significant edge in experience to the contest, with almost 50 fights to his name spanning a pro career dating back 18 years. During that time, the affable Lopez has endured his share of disappointments, having come up short in four attempts at a major title between 1996 and 2001. He finally broke through earlier this year and claimed a major belt with a unanimous decision win over Thailand’s Pramuansak Posuwan.

If his record is any indication (he's undefeated over his last 16 bouts) Lopez appears to be one of those rare pressure fighters that get better with age – a small man’s Glen Johnson if you will. Like the rugged Jamaican light-heavyweight, he is a dedicated body puncher who loves to come forward and press the action.

Lopez' main weapon is his hard right hand, which he sometimes throws in a slightly overhand style, but he also shoots it straight through the guard. As most southpaws are vulnerable to the straight right, it will be a key weapon against Sonsona.

The steady pressure, which Lopez promises to bring right from the start, combined with his commitment to the body will definitely test the youngster’s resolve - but will also leave the older man open to return fire. How much he has to worry about what comes back will be depending greatly on Sonsona’s ability to stand in under that pressure.

As the naturally bigger man with advantages in height and reach, Sonsona appears to have the physical tools to try and keep the fight at long range, but don’t expect the 19 year old southpaw to play keep away as he prefers to forgo the safety first approach to holding his ground and ripping hard counters with both hands.

That said - its one thing for Sonsona (pictured right working the pads with trainer Jhun Agrabio, while co-trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. looks on) to plant his feet and fire off shots against overmatched opposition, but another to do so against an opponent the caliber of Lopez. This is a huge step-up for a fighter with only 38 pro rounds under his belt – mostly against suspect opposition.

It wasn’t until his previous outing in which he dispatched Wandee Singwancha with a devastating left uppercut, that the heavy handed Sonsona faced anyone of real quality. As impressive as that showing was, the quick nature of the bout didn’t tell us much about his ability to take a shot or how he'll respond when really challenged.

For all his natural talents, we won't know how tough Sonsona is until he's tested and Lopez promises to do just that.

Is the kid ready?

We'll find out tomorrow night in a bout that has all the ingredients to produce some memorable fireworks.

On the undercard...

Steve Molitor, the usual headline attraction at Rama, will be keeping busy with an 8 rounder against Argentinian Dario Azuaga.

The 35 year old Azuaga brings a record of 75-15-2 into the contest and on the surface looks like a solid foe. However, a closer look at his ledger reveals his last victory over an opponent with a winning record came way back in 2003. Since then he’s lost 11 straight when stepping up in competition with 8 of those defeats coming by stoppage.

Canadian broadcaster TSN certainly don’t anticipate Azuaga providing much trouble as they’ve got Molitor penciled in as the television analyst for the main-event. It's not unusual to see fighters in the broadcast booth, but generally not immediately after they’ve fought, and at yesterday’s press conference, Molitor assured the assembled gathering that he was taking his opponent seriously, despite his scheduled double duty.

Also on the card will be unbeaten Canadian heavyweight champion Greg Kiesla (10-0) in a 10 rounder against Michigan heavyweight Kevin Montiy (17-6-1), plus a 4 rounder featuring prospect Felix Mercedes. Mercedes, a welterweight prospect from Buffalo who promoter Alan Trembley speaks highly of, will be attempting to move his record to 3-0 when he takes on Dan Caron.

Rounding out the show are a pair of 4 rounders between super-middleweights Pedro De Melo (1-0) and Steven Boyd (8-3-1) and junior-middleweights Justin Fountain (5-1-2) and Frankie Abbiw (4-2).

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British Scene Prospect Watch: Don Broadhurst

Over the next week, Dave Oakes will be taking a look at some of the top young talent in the UK. Dave starts things off today with 25 year old Birmingham super-flyweight, Don Broadhurst.

With the new season upon us, I thought now was as good a time as any to have a look at the top prospects of British boxing. I’ve decided that the prospects must have fought less than a dozen times to be considered. I’ve also excluded all of the 2008 Olympians as they’re too obvious to pick and have all received plenty of exposure as it is.

Don Broadhurst

A small man with a big talent. The diminutive Brummie became the Commonwealth super-flyweight champion in only his 9th outing and is currently 11-0 with 3 stoppages.

The Positives:

He’s fast, skilful, has a decent chin and has shown improved punch power in his recent fights. Trained by one of the best up-and-coming trainers in Richie Woodhall, he’s got everything needed to go all the way.

The Negatives:

He’s not yet faced anyone with a high win percentage on their record and needs to start stepping up the quality of opposition to avoid becoming stale. Despite sitting down on his punches more recently, he’ll still lack knockout power when he steps up to world level.

He’s also at a disadvantage boxing in a division that’s relatively low on decent opponents. There seems to be a big gulf in class between domestic level and world level, with not many boxers inbetween the two. It might be that he’ll need to take a big gamble at some stage by taking on a fringe world level fighter without having the necessary experience needed for such a step up in class.

The Future:

I’d like to see him take on British champion Lee Haskins in the next twelve months, along with fights against Andy Bell and maybe Ian Napa, if he can tempt Napa back down to flyweight.

After that, it might be that he needs to target someone around the top 30 in the world. The likes of Zolile Mbityi, Luis Maldonado and Gerson Guerrero should all be within Broadhurst’s reach in around eighteen months to two years time.

e-mail Dave Oakes

British Scene Season Preview British Scene Season Preview Part One; Simpson vs Truscott, O'Donnell vs Glover, Davis vs Napa, Fury vs McDermott & Olusegun vs Daws British Scene Season Preview Part Two: Macklin vs Asikainen, Thaxton vs Murray, Sexton vs Rogan & Booth vs Hunter

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British Scene: Haskins Stops Burnkinshaw

Bristol's Lee Haskins had little trouble with British soldier Ross Burnkinshaw this past Friday night at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. Olympic Bronze medalist Tony Jeffries was also in action, picking up his 3rd win to remain perfect as a pro.

Matt Chudley has the recap.

Check out The Boxing Bulletin's preview of this Saturday's Sky Box Office show: Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik Preview

Friday, July 10 Haskins Stops Burkinshaw in 4 By Matt Chudley Southpaw Lee Haskins made a successful first defense of his British super-flyweight title with a one-sided 4th round stoppage of Ross Burkinshaw. In his customary stance with his hands down by his waist, Haskins settled into the contest quickly, using his quick feet, sharp reflexes and upper body movement to avoid the incoming while loading up with powerful hooks and uppercuts from unorthodox angles. Possibly overwhelmed in appearing on live national TV for the first time, Burkinshaw came out extremely tentatively, as he looked to cover up and weather the early storm. Though it was clearly his intention to try and see out Haskin's best, Burkinshaw failed to catch many of the Bristol man's lead-off hooks and uppercuts on his gloves and was shipping clean shots from the opening moments. Despite his impressive height for the weight, Burkinshaw currently lacks a sturdy jab and was unable to capitalize on this advantage and coupled with his flat feet and lack of power it meant the Sheffield fighter posed little threat to Haskins. He briefly opened up midway through the 3rd but went back into his shell after Haskins connected with a right hook. The young soldier began to take sustained punishment in the 4th when Haskins two fisted attack continued to land consistently prompting referee Ian John-Lewis to step between the fighters and call an end to the action. Many felt that the stoppage may have been premature but as soon as the referee advanced, Burkinshaw tried to take a knee and then made no protest after realizing the contest had been stopped. Next up for Haskins appears to be an attractive contest against Frank Warren prospect and unbeaten holder of the Commonwealth title, Don Broadhurst. With Broadhurst being named the mandatory challenger for the Lonsdale belt, purse bids will be called if necessary but Maloney and Warren are on much better terms in recent times and an agreement is likely to be reached. On the under-card… Hometown favourite Tony Jeffries was responsible for selling nearly all the tickets and didn’t disappoint his loyal following, blasting out Ilya Shakuro midway through the 1st round. The limited Shakuro proved too game for his own good, looking to engage the heavy handed Jeffries from the start. With Shakuro dropped and hurt from a left hook to the body, Jeffries pressed on with a vicious two fisted attack to leave the Belarussian defenseless and reeling on the ropes, with ref Gary Williams no choice but to jump in and save the visiting fighter. With the win, Jeffries improved his record to 3-0, while Shakuro falls to 2-2. Fellow North East prospect Travis Dickinson was equally impressive in stopping the 9-6 Hamed Jamali with a short counter right in the second round after suffering a cut from a clash of heads in the first. Also in action, light middleweight Brian Rose extended his unbeaten record to 13-0-1 with a hard fought 8 round decision over durable Frenchman Francis Tchoffa. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene Weekend Preview

While the big story in British boxing this weekend is the showdown between Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor, there are also two local televised shows happening in the UK this weekend.

Dave Oakes previews Sky's Friday night show, featuring Don Broadhurst's defense of his Commonwealth super-flyweight title against Ghana's Asamoah Wilson. The following night, Setanta features the British featherweight title clash between champion Paul Appleby and challenger, Martin Lindsay. Matt Chudley has the preview for that one.

Friday April 24 Don Broadhurst vs Asamoah Wilson (Sky) By Dave Oakes Don Broadhurst makes the second defence of his Commonwealth super-flyweight title on Friday night at the Civic Centre, Wolverhampton, England. His opponent, Asamoah Wilson, has got this title chance after a not so impressive start to his career - he’s lost all three of his fights, one by knockout. I've no idea how a boxer with such a paltry record can get a title shot, but when you consider that Broadhurst won the title against a fighter with an official record of only 1-1-1 and made his first defence against a fighter with a verified ledger of only 2-0, it doesn't really come as a surprise. I should point out that Wilson claims his record is 12-3-2, but there’s little solid evidence to back his claim up. Wilson is a complete unknown to everyone outside of his hometown and I've got a feeling that not many people in Accra know who he is either. Hopefully, he'll be able to take the talented Broadhurst a few rounds and make the young Brit work hard for a victory. Broadhurst is a fast stylist with the ability to win a world title but he needs a lot of learning fights to progress to that level. I just hope he steps up the level of competition after this fight. Darren McDermott takes a warm up fight against journeyman Jamie Ambler on the undercard as he prepares for his much anticipated fight with Darren Barker. Hot prospect Jamie Cox continues his career with a good little test against Mark Lloyd. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday April 25 Paul Appleby vs Martin Lindsay (Setanta) By Matt Chudley In an exciting clash of rising prospects Paul Appleby defends his British Featherweight title against fellow unbeaten Martin Lindsay on Setanta Sports this Saturday. The 14-0 Appleby will travel to the Ulster Hall in Linday's hometown of Belfast after Hayemaker promotions ponied up a sizeable offer to entice the young Tommy Gilmour fighter across the Irish sea. Lindsay, who had previously moved over to Canada to try and furthur his career was pursued aggressively by Adam Booth and Dave Coldwell and became an early addition to the Hayemaker stable. Although he may be the younger man by five years Appleby has the greater experience in the professional ring having faced the now Commonwealth Champion and scourge of several prospects, John Simpson in addition to former world title challenger Esham Pickering. Appleby has also recieved a high level of competition in the gym, sparring with fellow Edinburgh native and former WBO super-featherweight champ Alex Arthur from the age of 16 and locking horns with current 122lb king Israel Vasquez on a trip to the gyms of southern california. Lindsay's career best win to date came against the now free falling Derry Mathews in a British title eliminator. Arguably needing a knock out, Lindsay ended the lanky scouser's night with a picture perfect left hook in the 9th round. Appleby's size, power and higher level of competition make him the favourite in this one but accomplished amateur and skillful counter-puncher Lindsay is more than capable of punishing any reckless assaults from the younger man. The undercard features blue-chip Hayemaker prospects George Groves and Michael Maguire as well as stay busy fights for British light-middle champ Ryan Rhodes and former premiership footballer Curtis Woodhouse. Viewed by many as the best prospect in the UK, George Groves returns to action after a one round stoppage of the 19-5-2 Paul Samuels in only his 3rd pro fight. Having got the better of James DeGale in their amatuer head to head the West London fighter felt unlucky not to be at the 2008 Olympics but appears much more suited to the pro game than Gold Medalist DeGale, with his aggresive sharp punching style. e-mail Matt Chudley

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