Ronnie Nathanielsz reports for BoxingScene.com that former junior flyweight titlist Marvin Sonsona left his training camp for a September 4 return to the ring, ostensibly to celebrate his 20th birthday in General Santos City. His leaving camp was against his manager Dr. Rajan Yraola's wishes, and he never reported back to training. The scheduled fight, which was to be nothing more than a tune-up, is now off.
Yraola has seemingly grown frustrated with Sonsona, lamenting the fighter wasting opportunities. Since defeating rugged veteran Jose "Carita" Lopez to win the WBO 115-pound belt last September, Sonsona's career has been in a tailspin. He failed to make weight in his next fight, drawing with journeyman Alejandro Hernandez. He skipped a division and jumped up to 122 this February to fight for a vacant belt there, and was stopped in the fourth round by the less-heralded prospect Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
There were reports before the fight with Vazquez that Sonsona, having moved up two classes, was still struggling to make weight. He also has had trouble before with leaving camp and not reporting back.
Sonsona is a talent. There is no disputing that. But the last year has brought into question a lot of questions about his desire, his mental game, and whether or not with his flaws, he can really have a future in boxing. That future, which once looked incredibly bright, has darkened considerably. There is talk that he'll fight again in November, but how much stock can you put into that?
While you can say it is a shame that such a talented young man might miss out on becoming a force in boxing simply because he doesn't want it, that's looking at it from an angle that doesn't truly consider the fighter. If he doesn't have the desire, then that's just the way it is. Sonsona and his handlers need to seriously look at what the fighter wants to do. High-level boxing is absolutely not a game for those who aren't in it all the way.