THE featherweight division churns out one other engaging matchup this weekend when world quantity three, Mark Magsayo, takes on the fifth-ranked Brandon Figueroa at Ontario’s Toyota Arena in California on Saturday evening (March 4).
Both combatants have some skeletons of their closet. For Magsayo, 24-1 (16), he’s seeking to bounce again from a July defeat to Rey Vargas whereas that is Figueroa’s second outing since he was outpointed by Stephen Fulton, down at super-bantamweight, in November 2021. Like these bouts, this one is over the 12-round distance. For what it’s value, the WBC interim bauble is at stake.
Magsayo’s loss to Vargas got here after proving himself amongst the leaders with a January 2022 win over Gary Russell Jnr. Before that, the US-based Filipino knocked out Julio Ceja in 10 wild rounds. In all three contests, Magsayo showcased each his promise and limitations at the highest degree.
The loss to Vargas persuaded the 27-year-old Magsayo to make some tweaks to his coaching crew with Marvin Somodio taking Freddie Roach’s place as head coach. Somodio, as soon as a star of the Philippine novice boxing crew, had been working underneath Roach since he stop preventing after a quick skilled profession in 2011. His transfer to develop his personal gymnasium and steady was embraced by Magsayo who leaves Roach on good phrases, citing communication as the predominant purpose behind the transfer; each Magsayo and Somodio converse the Filipino language of Bisaya.
“I can understand more when coach Marvin explains to me the instructions I need,” stated Magsayo, initially from Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Philippines. “I feel I have more chemistry with him as we have the same culture, come from the same region too where we grew up with the same dialect.”
Figueroa is the 2/7 favorite. Though comparatively new to the featherweight division – he stopped the first rate Carlos Castro in six rounds in July in his solely earlier encounter in the weight class – he’s blended with higher firm total. A stress fighter with severe pop in each palms, the 23-1-1 (18) Texan can also be taller by two inches (at 5ft 8ins) and his arms are longer by greater than 4 (his attain is 72.5ins in comparison with Magsayo’s 68). Technically sound from the outdoors, Figueroa is a grasp of reducing down distance and letting his palms fly up shut.
“I know exactly what I’m doing when I fight inside the pocket,” stated the 26-year-old. “When I’m inside, I’m really comfortable and I know how to work. I can let my body shots off from there. We’ve worked on a lot of things though, because I know Magsayo is a heavy hitter like me.”
It was a tactic that fell narrowly quick towards the sensible Fulton, however that he gave him such a troublesome examination means that Magsayo – in camp since October – goes to search out it troublesome to copy the Philadelphian’s success. And it may very well be argued that dropping a good one to Fulton stays an admirable effort in a method that Magsayo’s defeat to Vargas was not. Though the Filipino had his moments towards Vargas, he struggled with the attain and trade of the Mexican who, although stable sufficient, at all times has the look of a beatable boxer.
“I learned from my last fight that I needed to adjust for a fighter with a reach advantage like Rey Vargas,” Magsayo countered. “I really thought I won the fight, but I respect the judges. I’m coming to use my power and damage and hit Figueroa hard.”
Mark Magsayo (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Magsayo can field cleverly and bang with authority. That aforementioned win over Ceja, the place Magsayo rallied to attain the KO in spherical 10 after falling behind on the playing cards, is testomony to his energy. When Figueroa met Ceja in 2019, he was lucky to get a share of the spoils after 12 gruelling rounds. Worth noting that Ceja – like Fulton – discovered Figueroa to be a prepared goal and one who can battle to vary his strategy if his demonic free-swinging fashion isn’t working. With that in thoughts, Magsayo has extra than simply an out of doors probability of victory and could be very a lot a reside ‘canine.
But the wise cash will possible be positioned on Figueroa, notably if these playing witnessed his 2021 destruction of the beforehand undefeated Luis Nery. Figueroa once more had issues that evening however as soon as he’d improved his goal, Nery merely couldn’t cope. In the finish, the most spiteful of physique punches put Nery down and out in spherical seven. To win, subsequently, Magsayo will must be switched on from the first bell to the final.
Yet the consideration of Magsayo, priced at 3/1, has been identified to wander. Whether that may solely be blamed on communication points with Roach stays to be seen however what Figueroa does so properly is drive his opponents to combat again and, in the course of, invite errors. Magsayo, we really feel, simply makes too a lot of them for him to not get punished. Though we shouldn’t rule out Magsayo placing on one thing of a clinic, the feeling is that he’ll find yourself being rescued in the second half of the contest.
On the undercard, former super-welterweight belt-holder Jarrett Hurd, 24-2 (16), will likely be hoping to regain some lengthy misplaced momentum towards Mexico’s Jose Armando Resendiz, 13-1 (9) in a middleweight 10-rounder.
Hurd hasn’t fought since he was outpointed over the similar distance by fringe contender Luis Arias in June 2021. That reverse got here two years after an upset loss to Julian Williams; it seems like an awfully very long time in the past that Hurd was beating high quality males like Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout and Tony Harrison. Now 32, one wonders if we’ll ever see him once more. But he’s certainly too good for Resendiz, who has not fought anybody of word.
In the similar division, promising Uruguayan prospect, Amilcar Vidal, 16-0 (12), will get a welcome take a look at in the form of 19-year-old Elijah Lorenzo Garcia, 13-0 (11) of Phoenix, Arizona.
THE VERDICT: The winner of Figueroa-Magsayo will turn into a key participant in the featherweight ranks.
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