Sonny Moroni Set For Main Event Status Against Thai Veteran
Sonny Moroni Set For Main Event Status Against Thai Veteran
Since his early teens, Peach Boxing's Sonny Moroni (2-0,1KO) has been working long hours at the gym. Training alongside Mea Motu, Andrei Mikhailovich, Jerome Pampellone and David Light demonstrated to Moroni that a career could be made out of boxing and that world title opportunities were more than just a pipe dream, provided a fighter was willing to do the work.
On Friday night, the 18-year-old Matamata-born fighter will get to headline the first card of his career when he takes on Thai veteran Surachet Tongmala(11-20,8KO) inside Auckland's ABA Stadium in the main event of Peach Boxing's Pound-For-Pound fight night.
Moroni is currently 2-0 as a professional and comes into this fight after a first-round stoppage win over Fiji's Saimoni Nanovu. However, Tongmala will be Moroni's most experienced opponent by some distance, and Moroni is looking forward to showing the Auckland crowd what he is capable of.
"I think that's cool," Moroni says.
"I've fought people with experience before, when I was an amateur, with less [fights], I came out on top. So I think it's the same thing with the pros."
Moroni has noticed a subtle shift in his approach to training now that he is no longer an amateur. In the professional ranks, every fight matters, with each win helping a fighter build their case for a shot at the sport's highest pinnacle.
" I think the mindset kinda changed a little bit just for the fact that it's my pro record in the back of my mind the whole time, " he explains.
" The training has always been hard, and getting towards all the pros at this stable, you know, kind of following in their footsteps. So everyone trains hard, and we are all just pushing each other, pushing the limits every week."
Moroni is in the fortunate position of having multiple world-ranked fighters willing to share the lessons they have learned in their rise up the ranks. In a sport as fiercely competitive as boxing, getting first-hand knowledge from world champions such as Mea Motu is invaluable for any up-and-coming fighter.
"Getting pointers and tips from the older fellas always helps out, you know, just getting me ready. All my fights, they give all the tips [about] stuff they had to overcome as amateurs going to pro; they have already done all the stuff that I'm doing now. It's making it a lot easier for me.
While boxing is more of a team sport than people give it credit for, when it comes time to get into the ring, it does not matter who is in a fighter's corner or supporting them ringside; if a fighter does not have the inner drive to succeed, eventually they will be found out.
In Moroni's case, this is not a problem. Since he first laced his gloves up five years ago, his passion for the sport has only grown, and now, with his career truly about to take flight, he knows exactly why and for what he is fighting for.
"I feel like the thrill and that fire never really dies. I always enjoy getting in that ring, even though I do it every day pretty much. The thrill never really dies out. It's always exciting, new opponents, and it's the world title; that's what pushes, I think, everyone in the gym to keep going and keep showing up every day."
Fans can following the action live on PPV at CSN