Fight Replay: Marvin Sonsona vs Jose Lopez

Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao was elated over the victory of 19 year old Marvin Sonsona who hammered out an impressive twelve round unanimous decision over veteran Puerto Rican Jose “Carita” Lopez to win the WBO super flyweight title in an action-packed battle at Casino Rama, Ontario, Canada Saturday Manila Time and become the youngest Filipino world champion.

BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports followed the action on the Solar Sports telecast over CS/9, informed Pacquiao about the results of the fight and gave him a short rundown of what happened while he was on the set of his latest movie.

Pacquiao said he was “elated” over Sonsona’s victory and that this is what he was actually talking about in a press conference on Friday where he predicted other Filipino fighters would take advantage of his having opened the doors for them and go on to become world champions.

Pacquiao announced the setting up of a new promotional and TV production company he is forming with Solar Sports, to further enhance boxing in the Philippines and internationally and to provide opportunities for more Filipino boxers to demonstrate their talent at home and abroad.

Pacquiao who has served as an inspiration for Filipino boxers and a model of dedication and commitment in training said later at a dinner he hosted for the media on Saturday that “I know Sonsona is a courageous fighter. He is strong and not afraid. These are the fighters I want to help. I have been eyeing him for some time now.”

Pacquiao asked for a DVD of the fight from Solar Sports Wilson Tseng who also celebrated his birthday and handed the world’s pound-for-pound king two copies of the fight which Pacquiao said he would watch when he got home.

Sonsona was originally discovered and managed by the son of Pacquiao’s first business manager Rod Nazario, Rommel Nazario, and made his debut on the weekly boxing show “In This Corner” which is promoted/ produced by Nazario, Moy Lainez, Lito Mondejar and Gerry Garcia before he moved to the south where promoter Sammy Gello-ani chartered his career successfully along with Sonsona’s manager Dr. Rajan Yraola who secured his release from the young Nazario.

A regular on the Viva Sports top-rated weekly boxing show “The Main Event” with his fights promoted by Gello-ani and telecast over CS/9, Sonsona scored his biggest win in a spectacular 2nd round knockout of former world interim champion Wandee Singwancha last May 28 which earned him a title shot, with international matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz arranging the title shot at Lopez in cooperation with Gello-ani.

It was Lewkowicz who advised Murad Muhammad to sign up Pacquiao when no other promoter in the US paid any attention to the southpaw during a visit to the US along with Nazario in 2001. It resulted in Pacquiao’s sensational 6th round TKO demolition of Lelohonolo Ledwaba to win the IBF super bantamweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on June 23, 2001 after a mere two weeks notice.

In an overseas telephone conversation right after Sonsona’s rousing win, Lewkowicz said “I told you Ronnie that I discovered Pacquiao when nobody gave a sh*t about him and today I told you I did the right thing for this kid (Sonsona). He fought perfectly and he deserved the victory."

Then, in a moment of exuberance, Lewkowicz added “I am a ‘Picasso’ and now I am a ‘great Picasso .”

Sonsona himself expressed his thanks for the support of “The Main Event” even as he complained about the “terrible low blows and head-butts” of Lopez who lost one point for the infraction even as he admitted he was “hurt by them. It was terrible but I am okay.”

WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire who is recovering from dengue in the Asian Hospital in Alabang was also overjoyed over the fifth world title won by a Filipino and congratulated Sonsona on his victory.

In a reflection of the fighting heart of our world champions it was noted that Pacquiao, Sonsona and Donaire were effectively all from General Santos City.

Sonsona who dropped Lopez with a cracking counter left straight in round four and then rocked him a couple of times with left and right combinations had to withstand a withering body assault by the hard-hitting champion in the middle rounds . But the lanky southpaw came back to win the last two rounds to seal the deal.

In the eleventh round caught Lopez with a stinging left and as the champion appeared to get desperate he connected with another of the several low blows he threw in the fight but Sonsona cracked him with a good right to open up a cut over Lopez’ eye.

The teenaged Sonsona piled up the points in the final round as he nailed Lopez with a right uppercut and followed it up with a left .

Promoter Alan Trembley in a post fight interview said “a few days ago we were talking about this fight being potentially a ‘fight of the year’ candidate. This is now a definite candidate. What a fight . One of the best in Canada for a while.”

Trembley noted that Sonsona “dominated the amateurs in the Philippines and it comes with that pro package and in combination he delivered what we thought he would deliver and we thought he might take Lopez out. But Lopez is a great champion with a tough chin and everybody should recognize that he is a great champion and Sonsona beat one tonight.”

Trembley said he was going to huddle with his partners and “work on a November date to bring back Steve Molitor (the former world champion) on the big stage and bring back Marvin Sonsona to defend his title.” Molitor scored a 4th round TKO overt Argentina’s Dario Azuaga whose corner threw in the towel after Molitor dropped Azuaga in a heap following a flurry of punches.