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THE featherweight division churns out one other attractive matchup this weekend when world quantity three, Mark Magsayo, takes on the fifth-ranked Brandon Figueroa at Ontario’s Toyota Enviornment in California on Saturday evening (March 4).
Each combatants have some skeletons of their closet. For Magsayo, 24-1 (16), he’s trying 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 among the many leaders with a January 2022 win over Gary Russell Jnr. Earlier than that, the US-based Filipino knocked out Julio Ceja in 10 wild rounds. In all three contests, Magsayo showcased each his promise and limitations on the highest stage.
The loss to Vargas persuaded the 27-year-old Magsayo to make some tweaks to his coaching staff with Marvin Somodio taking Freddie Roach’s place as head coach. Somodio, as soon as a star of the Philippine novice boxing staff, had been working beneath Roach since he give up combating 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 primary motive behind the transfer; each Magsayo and Somodio converse the Filipino language of Bisaya.
“I can perceive extra when coach Marvin explains to me the directions I want,” stated Magsayo, initially from Tagbilaran Metropolis in Bohol, Philippines. “I really feel I’ve extra chemistry with him as we’ve got the identical tradition, come from the identical area too the place we grew up with the identical dialect.”
Figueroa is the two/7 favorite. Although comparatively new to the featherweight division – he stopped the first rate Carlos Castro in six rounds in July in his solely earlier encounter within the weight class – he’s blended with higher firm general. A stress fighter with critical pop in each arms, the 23-1-1 (18) Texan can 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 surface, Figueroa is a grasp of slicing down distance and letting his arms fly up shut.
“I do know precisely what I’m doing once I struggle contained in the pocket,” stated the 26-year-old. “After I’m inside, I’m actually snug and I understand how to work. I can let my physique pictures off from there. We’ve labored on lots of issues although, as a result of I do know Magsayo is a heavy hitter like me.”
It was a tactic that fell narrowly quick towards the good Fulton, however that he gave him such a troublesome examination means that Magsayo – in camp since October – goes to search out it tough to copy the Philadelphian’s success. And it could possibly be argued that dropping a decent one to Fulton stays an admirable effort in a manner that Magsayo’s defeat to Vargas was not. Although the Filipino had his moments towards Vargas, he struggled with the attain and trade of the Mexican who, although stable sufficient, all the time has the look of a beatable boxer.
“I discovered from my final struggle that I wanted to regulate for a fighter with a attain benefit like Rey Vargas,” Magsayo countered. “I actually thought I gained the struggle, however I respect the judges. I’m coming to make use of my energy and injury and hit Figueroa arduous.”
Mark Magsayo (Mitchell Leff/Getty Photographs)
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. Value noting that Ceja – like Fulton – discovered Figueroa to be a prepared goal and one who can wrestle to alter his method if his demonic free-swinging fashion isn’t working. With that in thoughts, Magsayo has extra than simply an outdoor probability of victory and could be very a lot a reside ‘canine.
However the smart cash will probably be positioned on Figueroa, significantly 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 long run, probably the most spiteful of physique punches put Nery down and out in spherical seven. To win, due to this fact, Magsayo will must be switched on from the primary bell to the final.
But the eye of Magsayo, priced at 3/1, has been identified to wander. Whether or not that may solely be blamed on communication points with Roach stays to be seen however what Figueroa does so properly is power his opponents to struggle again and, within the course of, invite errors. Magsayo, we really feel, simply makes too lots of them for him to not get punished. Although we shouldn’t rule out Magsayo placing on one thing of a clinic, the sensation is that he’ll find yourself being rescued within the second half of the competition.
On the undercard, former super-welterweight belt-holder Jarrett Hurd, 24-2 (16), might 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 identical distance by fringe contender Luis Arias in June 2021. That reverse got here two years after an upset loss to Julian Williams; it appears 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. However he’s certainly too good for Resendiz, who has not fought anybody of be aware.
In the identical division, promising Uruguayan prospect, Amilcar Vidal, 16-0 (12), will get a welcome take a look at within the form of 19-year-old Elijah Lorenzo Garcia, 13-0 (11) of Phoenix, Arizona.
THE VERDICT: The winner of Figueroa-Magsayo will develop into a key participant within the featherweight ranks.
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