No easy fights as Magnifico looks to get back to championship level.
It is official: Mark ‘Magnifico’ Magsayo will be facing
Brandon Figueroa next, and that fight will happen on March 5 at Toyota Arena in
Ontario, Canada (March 4, Canadian time).
Magsayo, one of only a few keeping Filipino boxing alive in
the world stage, confirmed the news himself on his Twitter, where he called on
his fans to watch the fight live.
The 27-year-old Boholano is coming off a heartbreaking loss via split
decision to Mexican Rey Vargas last July, in the process losing the WBC
featherweight title he had previously won against the highly touted Gary
Russell Jr. It was Magsayo’s first professional defeat, having
gone 24-0 to start his career, which includes notable wins against Russell Jr.,
Julio Ceja, and Panya Uthok.
Despite coming off a tough loss, the man known as Magnifico did
not settle for an easy comeback fight—something most boxers at this level
generally do. Instead, Magsayo opted to fight one of the best boxers in the
lighter divisions in Figueroa, himself a champion once over. The former WBA
super bantamweight titleholder was actually supposed to fight the unbeaten
Stephen Fulton Jr. for the interim WBC featherweight belt, until both decided
to go in different directions—with Figueroa turning his attention to Magsayo and Fulton
getting into negotiations with Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue.
The Magsayo vs Figueroa showdown this March has championship
ramifications, as it will pit two of the top three in the WBC’s featherweight
rankings. The Filipino is currently at number 3, while the American is at
number 1, which means whoever wins takes a step closer to fighting for the WBC
featherweight belt.