Trainer confident Sonsona will KO challenger

Trainer Nonito Donaire, Sr. expressed confidence his young ward Marvin Sonsona will emerge victorious in his first defense of the WBO super flyweight crown against Mexican Alejandro Hernandez on Saturday at the Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada (Sunday in Manila). Donaire even raised the possibility of a knockout win for the 19-year-old Sonsona, who's been tipped as the next Manny Pacquiao. “Itong si Hernandez, kung talagang lalaban siya ng pukpukan, hindi siya tatagal ng six rounds kay Marvin," Donaire said in an interview with GMA 7.

“Mapapadali kung lalaban siya kay Marvin sa loob kasi si Marvin ay may knockout punch at magaling tumingin ng opening. Yan ang advantage niya (Sonsona)," added the father and first trainer of reigning WBA interim super flyweight kingpin Nonito “The Filipino Flash" Donaire, Jr. Sonsona, who carries an unblemished 14-0 card with 12 KOs, will be defending the belt he wrested from Puerto Rican veteran Jose “Carita" Lopez via a knockdown-spiked unanimous decision win last Sept. 4 in the same venue. Team Sonsona arrived in Canada last Saturday, on the same day the champ’s cousin Eden Sonsona made short-work of his rival Elion Kedem in the undercard of Pacquiao’s megabuck duel with Miguel Cotto over in Las Vegas. Eden dropped Kedem with a hard left hand in the first round and blitzed Kedem right as the bell sounded in the second, forcing referee Joe Cortez to stop the fight at :17 in the second round. “Sobrang saya ko kasi nanalo iyung pinsan ko," Marvin said. But the WBO champ couldn't afford to celebrate his cousin's victory for long as he had to attend to his own task at hand – his defense against Hernandez ((22-7-1, 11 KOs), who is coming off a unanimous decision setback to compatriot Wilbert Uicab in their battle for the Mexico and NABF flyweight crown last September. First order of business for Sonsona: Get accustomed to the cold Canadian climate after spending most of his training under the tropical conditions of Cebu. “Noong first time kong nag-training dito ay summer, kayang kaya ko ang lamig. Pero ngayon, parang nahihirapan ako, sobrang lamig talaga," said the youthful champ, who also has to shed off four pounds for the fight. For this, the training team focuses on cardio exercises. “Unang pinagtuunan namin pagdating dito ay yung cardio niya kasi iba ang altitude dito, parang manipis ang hangin, para kang madaling mapagod," said Donaire. “Kahit ako nga, noong tumakbo ako kanina, napansin ko, talagang iba ang breathing mo, talagang madali kang mapapagod." The Sonsona camp, though, is confident the General Santos City pride will be able to adapt to the climate and successfully defend his crown. One of five Filipino world champions along with his kababayan Pacquiao and the trainer’s son Donaire, Jr., Sonsona will be try to make a fitting followup to the Pacman's 12-round demolition of Cotto which took place the previous weekend. - GMANews.TV