Full report: Sonsona-Hernandez
by Dave Spencer, FightNews Canada
2009-11-24
It turned out to be quite the day for nineteen year-old Marvin Sonsona. In the morning he lost his WBO junior-bantamweight belt on the scales, coming in over two-and-a-half pounds over the 115 pound limit. Things didn’t go much better in the evening as the Philippine fighter escaped with a draw over a determined Alejandro Hernandez (22-7-2 11KO) by score of 115-113, 113-115, 114-114. The WBO title will remain vacant. It was clear that from the early going that these were two fighters operating on different planes, with the former champion waving and smiling to the crowd while a determined Hernandez was trying to make the most of his title opportunity. The talent level favoured the tall lanky Sonsona who was able to bank some early rounds, winning three of the first four rounds on two of the Ontario judges’ scorecards over the Mexican who showed no quit on the evening.
The 5’9” Sonsona who promoters claimed has grown two inches in height since September plans on skipping bantamweight and jumping directly to the 122 pound division and fighting in February in Manila. An injured hand may push that proposed fight back somewhat. The now former champion had his left hand wrapped in ice after the fight stating that he had injured it in the third round. “I lost my power, it was very painful,” said Sonsona through interpreters. Asked how he felt about losing his belt and perfect record all in the same day, the fighter replied, “I have to accept it, it’s reality, the weight was not easy to lose, it doesn’t help that it is cold here and not as hot as back home.”
With the bad hand and lacking in concentration at times, Sonsona who has only been past 5 rounds once often didn’t have an answer when his opponent decided to stick around for the long haul and not to fall victim to the youngster’s power that has seen 12 of 14 fighters have an early night. But despite being just 23 years old himself and having seven losses on his record, Hernandez who has never been stopped performed like a veteran, always punctuating rounds with effective flurries, stealing points where he could get them like he did in the 10th round. Sonsona controlled most of the action but a quick five-punch combination in the middle of the round and two short right hands to end it was enough to swing to of the three judges to his side. By the championship rounds, the smirking and crowd-waving had come to an abrupt end as the former champ seemed to be reeling backwards as Hernandez was landing cleanly. Had the Mexico City fighter who has campaigned mainly as a flyweight including a WBO title shot at that weight last year had more pop on his punches, he might have met a better fate.
If you wish to contact the author of this article, email Dave Spencer at FightNews Canada