“Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona (14-0-1 12KO’s) and Wilfredo “Papito” Vazquez Jr. (17-0-1 14KO’s) will be looking to make history and add to the brewing rivalry between Puerto Rico and the Phillipines come Saturday night. The two undefeated boxers will square off for the WBO super bantamweight title at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón Puerto Rico.
Sonsona is, along with Ben Villaflor (54-8-7 31KO’s), one of the two youngest ever Filipino world champions having both won their first belts at the age of 19. Unlike Villaflor, whose last fight was fifteen round decision loss against Puerto Rican Samuel Serrano, Sonsona is moving up in weight, two divisions, to look for his second world title. After winning the WBO super flyweight title from Puerto Rican José “Carita” López (39-8-2 32KO’s) last year but having failed to make weight for his first defense against Alejandro Hernández (22-7-2 11KO’s), “Marvelous” skipped the bantamweights altogether and is aiming to become the youngest ever two division Filipino world champion.
Vazquez Jr. on his part is also a young fighter at 25. Not as young in years as his next opponent but the fact that he didn’t have an amateur career helps him look fresher than his age would suggest. Still, it is not age which offers a spot on the history books for “Papito” but his lineage. His father, Wilfredo “The Pride of Puerto Rico” Vazquez is a former three division world champion and one of the island’s most cherished fighters. Winning the world title this Saturday would make them the first ever Puerto Rican father and son duo to win world titles.
Still, more history could, and probably will, be made this Saturday. This is because for several years now, a rivalry has been developing between Puerto Rico and the Philippines in terms of boxing. Manny Pacquiao, by himself, has made sure that Filipino boxers are considered when speaking of any division south of junior middleweight but he may only be the tip of the iceberg.
The biggest match to date is Pacuqiao knocking Cotto out but many other titles have been disputed and many other match-ups have produced great battles. Even though it was mostly one sided, Juan Manuel López and Gerry Peñalosa was an entertaining fight with good action with the WBO super bantamweight title on the line. Recently, Mario Santiago and Bernabe Concepcion gave us a good show on the same card that Eric Morel and Gerry Peñalosa fought for an interim version of the WBO bantamweight title. Sonsona himself showed maturity well beyond his years when he fought tough veteran “Carita” in a very entertaining affair and Rodel Mayol gave Iván Calderón all he could handle for twelve rounds over the course of two title defenses.
Come Saturday night, we will have two young, undefeated fighters fighting for their countries, their place in history and their livelihood. Sonsona, an accomplished amateur boxer, enjoys clear advantages in reach and amateur experience while Vazquez Jr. should be more comfortable at the weight and should come in the heavier man.
At 115lbs. Sonsona had serious power. Only “Carita” López, a man who has never been stopped, went more than five rounds with the Filipino and when they met each other September of last year. López was down on the fourth and never really recovered fron the straight left that put him there. Nonetheless, Sonsona’s failure to make weight for his first defense and the resulting draw may have shed a little bit of light into his incredible power. Enjoying advantages in size over of his previous opponents may have proved very advantageous and he is now jumping, not one, but two divisions and seven pounds north to face a natural super bantamweight.
Sonsona is also a southpaw with good punching technique and decent ring generalship. Yet, he often carries his hands low and keeps his stance wide when looking to counter. This could prove dangerous against Vazquez Jr. who has good power on his hands and can go to the body fairly well. Sonsona’s skinnier frame may be too available for Vazquez Jr. if he can’t keep the Puerto Rican at bay with jabs and straight lefts.
Papito will most likely carry the weight advantage the day of the fight and will have a hometown crowd cheering for every punch he throws. He should also feel more comfortable absorbing punishment and if he can take Sonsona’s firepower for the first half of the fight, has a chance of wearing the Filipino down. It must be noted that Vazquez Jr. has not faced a southpaw the likes of Sonsona and he may find it difficult to adapt his footwork properly.
With both fighters carrying power and motivation into the fight, this should be an exciting bout with a very good chance of ending before the final bell. Sonsona said he will look for the knockout and his own piece of history, Vazquez Jr. says he is looking for the money a victory would put him in position to earn. With WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” López set to defend against Bernabe Concepción this summer, the rivalry between the nations just keeps getting more interesting.
