Marvin Sonsona takes on Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. Saturday night in Puerto Rico / Photo © Giordano Ciampini

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Andrew Fruman previews Saturday night's 122lb match-up featuring Marvin Sonsona and Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

It’s safe to say boxing fans can expect fireworks Saturday night in Bayomon Puerto Rico when a couple of promising up and comers tangle in a mouth watering junior-featherweight clash.

It wasn’t too long ago that the top of the 122lb chart was stacked with established stars, but with the migration of several top battlers to the featherweight class, and a couple others likely moving up in the near future, the door is opening for new talent to step up and make a name for themselves.

Enter Filipino Marvin Sonsona and Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

Besides the obvious implications of grabbing a belt, the match-up between the young sluggers is most appealing from an action standpoint.

Neither fighter is what you’d call a wild brawler, but both bring heavy hands and a willingness to exchange power shots to the table. With that type of offensive mentality in play from two fighters that are still a little rough around the edges, it’s hard to imagine a scenario that doesn’t involve a good deal of leather being traded.

Sonsona is a good counter puncher that can bang away from his southpaw stance with either hand and isn’t afraid to fire shots downstairs. He likes to set his feet and rip, and along with his right hook and straight left has a terrific uppercut which he really digs with.

Despite being the younger man by a little over six years, he appears to be the more battle tested of the two fighters. While his most recent performances were uneven – a gritty star making effort against Jose Lopez, followed by a sluggish outing against Alejandro Hernandez – the combined experiences gained from those outings, could give the Filipino an edge in a lengthy conflict.

Vasquez has yet to be involved in similarly gruelling struggles – or cracked on the chin by an elite opponent - so his durability has to be in question, but when it comes to his strengths, he possesses similar attributes to Sonsona.

He’s also an effective counter puncher with power in both hands, and has a sharp jab to go along with the heavy shots. Like his opponent, he goes to the body well, as evidenced by his fight ending hook downstairs against Cecilio Santos in one of his most recent outings.

In his last fight – and only real step up in competition – Vasquez dismantled Genaro Garcia. Granted Garcia was somewhat shop-worn, but the former title challenger was still a decided step up in talent for the promising Puerto Rican and the manner in which Vasquez handled the test was impressive.

It’s on the defensive end however, that he might not be up to scratch as he’s far from an elusive target. While he keeps his hands up, he doesn’t seem to pick off shots all that effectively and the times he appears a little slippery are when he’s clearly not looking to counter.

Sonsona has similar defensive issues, and that’s what makes the match-up so appetizing. Both these fighters can really crack and neither man is all that hard to find.

That’s a tried and true fan friendly formula, which makes this a fight not to be missed.

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