A good manager or promoter can be a wonderful asset to a fighter. They can guide a boxer to a championship or at least get their boxer a very nice payday. They know their fighter. Is he the real thing? Should I get the most out of my cash cow now before someone discovers his beard conceals a glass jaw?
There are many questions to be asked of a fighter. One such question combines a boxer’s ability along with his experience. Will his youth be a detriment or an advantage? Will his lack of experience cost him the fight in the later rounds?
Recently , all of these questions have been asked of phenom Marvin Sonsona. He is scheduled to fight Jose “Carita” Lopez on September 4 for Lopez’s WBO super flyweight title. Sonsona’s manager and promoter said that after some careful thought , that they are confident that Marvin is ready for his shot. So confident that they brought in Nonito Donaire ,Sr. to be an advisor. This was done to get Marvin fully prepared for his toughest challenge.
Sometimes the people closest to a fighter end up being his worst enemy. Not on purpose of course.
Sonsona is only 19 years old. And even though he has beat some decent fighters , he has yet to face a world class fighter.
His last opponent had a record of 57-9. That seems impressive until you go to Boxrec.com and find that Wandee Singwancha didn’t exactly live up to his record. He was knocked out by a boxer with a 12-1 record in March. Before that he won a decision over a fighter that was 11-12. Lost to a 18-7 fighter who had no noticeable wins on his record. And prior to that , he had KO’d a fighter that was only 5-4-2. Not exactly a scintillating resume.
Unfortunately , managers will use the record of an opponent to hype their fighter. There is no sin in that. It has always been done and always will be done.
My worry is that it is the young , talented Sonsona who will be taking the punches in the ring on September 4. Not the promoter or manager.
From everything I’ve seen , Marvin moves like a young Nonito Donaire. He looks good and seems to have a promising future. I have become a fan of Sonsona’s , but worry that this fight is not right for him at this time. He needs more experience.
Look , nothing would be sweeter than for Marvin to pull the upset and win a belt. But , there are very few true teenage phenoms in boxing. Mike Tyson and Wilfred Benitez are the only two that quickly come to mind. Even Manny Pacquiao took his lumps and gradually worked his way up to where he is now.
Why rush Marvin? The downside could be catastrophic. He has never been past five rounds. Meanwhile , Lopez is ranked fifth in the world , has a WBO belt and has a resume of world class fighters to fall back on. He even has a decision loss on his record to world class Fernando Montiel.
Could Sonsona win? Possibly. But a loss could be more than a loss. It could be a career ender. A manager should be like a dad. He should tell his fighter , “son , you’re young and talented. There will be plenty of time to take a belt from somebody , but today is not that day”.
These managers are in such a rush to find the next Manny Pacquiao that they are willing to sacrifice a promising career of a young man.
I will be watching and hoping that Marvin holds his own against Lopez. And hoping that he comes out with a victory and more importantly , his health. If not , we need to hold his manager , promoter and advisors accountable. Good luck Marvin.
