| |
|
A LOT IS AT STAKE FOR SONSONA TONIGHT
By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Sat, 22 Feb 2014

HONG KONG ? It could be a 'right on time' or 'a little bit too late' scenario for Marvin Sonsona tonight when he faces fellow former world champion Akifumi Shimoda of Japan for the WBO International Featherweight Title at the 15,000 capacity CotaiArena at The Venetian in Macau.
If Sonsona delivers, he will return to Macau on the undercard of the Vetyeka-Donaire title fight on May 31. And if he wins on May 31, he could challenge Simpiwe Vetyeka's WBA/IBO titles if Vetyeka wins against Donaire in the same card.
?This one, and the next one and then the title,? that's how matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz described Sonsona's path to redemption.
Another very interested spectator tonight will be Top Rank's Bob Arum who is looking to build future boxing stars from the Philippines. If Sonsona performs well then he will be instantly tagged by Top Rank as Pacquiao's possible successor.
Blocking the realization of the above scenario is Sonsona's opponent Shimoda who himself is eying to face the winner of Vetyeka-Donaire fight, and Sonsona's obvious lack of preparation for this fight.
Shimoda, from Tokyo, who has a win-loss-draw record of 28-3-2 with 12 knockouts, won the WBA superbantam title on Jan. 31, 2011 against fellow Japanese Ryol Li Lee but lost the title in his first defense against Rico Ramos of California in July, 2011 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Afterwards, Shimoda racked up 5 wins and 1 draw in six fights the last one a win over Mexican Alejandro last September at Tokyo's famed Korakuen Hall. His draw came at the hands of Filipino campaigner Roli Gasca.
Another hurdle for Sonsona is his lack of preparation in facing a title contender. Sonsona learned about this fight only in the last week of January. Although he had been working out for an activity fight for Feb. 28, his lack of rigid training and quality sparring may spell the difference.
Would Sonsona's exceptional boxing skills and inherent power enough to counter a well-experienced former champion and world-ranked campaigner and catapult him to the path of stardom? Or would his vices and care-free lifestyle catch him during what appeared to be the most important fight of his career?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod? By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA , Sat, 12 Jul 2025JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis) By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026 , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8 , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25 , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy , Thu, 10 Jul 20254 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas , Thu, 10 Jul 2025SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON , Thu, 10 Jul 2025FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships , Wed, 09 Jul 2025James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights” , Wed, 09 Jul 2025GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN , Tue, 08 Jul 2025UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA , Mon, 07 Jul 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|