Teen champ Sonsona proves he’s a ‘real fighter’

There were skeptics who felt that 19-year-old Marvin Sonsona, he who’s being billed as the next Manny Pacquiao, was not yet ripe for a world title. His previous fights lasted no longer than five rounds and he was up against a veteran almost twice his age, 36-year-old Puerto Rican Jose “Carita" Lopez. But the unbeaten youngster from General Santos City proved he’s more than just a promising “one-of-the-next-Pacquiaos," emerging from an action-packed 12-round showdown as the new WBO junior bantamweight champion. Sonsona landed bombs all throughout the fight, including a left hook that floored Lopez in the fourth. Lopez connected with his own shots, including some low blows, but the Filipino held his own to hack out a unanimous decision (116-109, 115-110, and 114-111) and wrest the coveted title. “Lopez was such a tough fighter, and winning a decision against him shows that I’m a real fighter, and a worthy champion," Sonsona said after the fight held in Ontario, Canada, as quoted by Fightfan.com. Sonsona, who had knocked out his last 12 foes out of his 13 previous wins, became the youngest Filipino champion at 19 years and two months after Morris East, who was 19 years and one month old when he won the WBA junior welterweight title in 1992. The country’s newest champ admitted Lopez was one tough customer. “Yes, Lopez hurt me," Sonsona said in a separate report by Slam! Sports. “He’s a very good fighter. (The low blows) hurt but I wanted to go on. I really lost some strength in the eighth and ninth but in the 10th I regained it and wanted to go for the knockout." The tremendous support from Fil-Canadians who flocked to the venue also helped him handle his first 12-rounder, Sonsona noted. “The Filipino people here were so great, and made me feel at home. That helped give me the strength to be a champion," he told Fightfan.com. Promoters are said to be eyeing a Nov. 21 title defense for Sonsona (now 14-0, 12 KOs), also at the Casino Rama in Ontario. Sonsona is the latest addition to the elite list of Filipino boxing champions, joining IBO light welterweight king Pacquiao, WBA interim super flyweight champ Nonito Donaire, Jr., WBO minimumweight boss Donnie Nietes and IBF light flyweight kingpin Brian Viloria. - GMANews.TV