Marvin the Marvel

It’s sometimes hard to imagine how a 5-1 former lightflyweight boxer can take the punches of much bigger fighters on mitts that he holds up in exhausting gym sessions. But Marvin Somodio, 42, has been doing that for years or since Manny Pacquiao brought him to Los Angeles in 2012 and got him started on a career as Freddie Roach’s chief assistant at the famous Wild Card Gym.

After seven years working with Roach, Somodio opened his own facility called the Combinations Boxing Academy near the LA Airport. He eventually closed Combinations and returned to Roach’s hub. Somodio has worked the corners of world champions like Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Ruslan Provodnikov and Brian Viloria, among others and taken on assignments across the globe – in Russia, Monaco, Mexico, China, Puerto Rico, Macau and different cities in the US. Once, he was in Mickey Rourke’s corner for a fight in Moscow and after the actor won by a second round stoppage, got a victory ride on his shoulders in the ring.

Somodio was recently in the news for guiding Pacquiao’s son Jimuel and former WBC featherweight champion Mark Magsayo to wins within two days of each other. Jimuel halted Darrick Gates in Temecula, California last April 3 while Magsayo stopped Feargal McCrorcy in Las Vegas last April 5. Jimuel and Magsayo worked together in camp with Somodio supervising their training. Magsayo calls Jimuel his “training buddy” and since they’re both lightweights, Somodio likes to keep watch on their progress at the same time in the gym. “Sina Mark at Jimuel nag-sparring din pero madalas boxing drills at sabay sila sa strength and conditioning training with Pedro Garcia,” said Somodio. “Nagbibigay din ng advice si Mark.”

Somodio said moving up from featherweight to superfeatherweight to lightweight was inevitable for Magsayo. “Matagal na namin gusto umakyat si Mark sa 135 pero dahil No. 1 siya sa 130, naghintay kami para makalaban ng world championship,” he disclosed. “Dahil matagal at laging postponed ang laban, nag-decide na ang team na kunin ang offer ng Zuffa Boxing. For me, 135 is the best weight for his body right now, solid at may speed at power. Mas confident si Mark ngayon, smart and skilled.”

Somodio said the plan is to stay active as what MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons noted, without rushing a world title shot. “Stay in shape always para pag biglang may schedule, ready na at strategy na lang par-aaralan namin,” he added. At least two more fights are lined up for Magsayo this year with WBO No. 4 and WBC No. 5 superfeatherweight Andres Cortes of Las Vegas and WBA No. 8 lightweight Jose (Rayo) Valenzuela of Mexico as candidate opponents. Cortes, 29, has a 24-0 record with 13 KOs and holds a first round KO win over Filipino Genesis Servania. Valenzuela, 26, totes a mark of 15-3 with nine KOs and boasts a win over Isaac (Pitbull) Cruz by a split decision. Magsayo, 30, has a slate of 29-2, with 19 KOs.