Marvelous Marvin
On Sunday, April 26, it was the National Boxing Hall of Fame, class of 2026, awards.
“A Salute to Boxing” was held at the Quiet Canyon Casino in Montebello, California, and among a long list of boxing’s best, past and present, was longtime Wild Card Boxing Club trainer Marvin Somodio.
Somodio, assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach at Roach’s famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, was recognized for the outstanding work he has done in training a long list of contenders and champions throughout his career.
Roach met up with Somodio in the Philippines years ago when he was there with star fighter Manny Pacquiao. Roach and Somodio worked together while he was there. Roach invited him to make the move to California, and the rest (as they say) is history.
Somodio, under the tutelage of Roach, has developed into a well-respected and highly talented lead trainer in his own right.
While perhaps best known for working with iconic Philippine superstar Manny Pacquiao, Somodio has also worked with the likes of Miguel Cotto, Brian Viloria, Ruslan Provodnikov, Viktor Postol, Jose Ramirez, and Dennis Levedev, to name a few.
He currently has the next generation of Pacquiao under his wing as he guides Manny’s son, Emanuel, who just picked up his first pro win.
The quiet, humble Somodio, a married father of 3 young children, is very deserving of this honor, and it is nice to see his hard work and talent being recognized.
Somodio was certainly among a long list of stars in the sport on this night.
The 2026 Inductee class included Timothy Bradley, Chris Bryrd, Tracy Bryd, Seniesa Estrada, Rafael Limon, Rafael Marquez, Erik Morales, Victor Tarrazas, Felix Trinidad, Felix Trinidad Sr. and Paul Vaden.
Somodio was inducted in the “Special Category” class that also included Max Deluca, Doug Fischer, Lita G. Kaufman, Larry Merchant, Mark Relyea, Thomas Taylor, Claudia Trejo, and Farzad Tabatabai.
Inducted posthumously were Julio Caesar Gonzalez and Canto Robledo. The “Don Jose Lifetime Achievement Award” went to Enzo Jacoponi. The “Howie Steindler Main Street Gym Award” went to Sugar Ray Robinson. The “Bobby Chacon Gift of Love Award” went to Yaqui and Beno Lopez. And the “Rising Stars Award” went to Steven Navarro and Naomy Valle.
Marvin Somodio, one of boxing’s truly nice guys, was where he should be on this night – among boxing’s very best.
Congratulations Marvin.