Mark Magsayo (left) and Brandon Figueroa (right). | Boxrec photos.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo gets a shot at the vacant WBC featherweight interim title against Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa of the United States.
The fight is scheduled on March 4, 2023, at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
This was announced by multiple boxing websites on Tuesday and was already posted on boxrec.com, after weeks of rumors
Magsayo, the former World Boxing Council (WBC) world featherweight champion who lost his title to Rey Vargas of Mexico last year in San Antonio, Texas opened another window of opportunity for himself to get a world title shot.
If Magsayo wins against Figueroa, he can schedule a rematch against Vargas who is planning to move back to the featherweight division once he clinches a world title in the super featherweight class.
However, it won’t be an easy fight for Magsayo.
The 26-year-old Figueroa of Weslaco, Texas has a record of 23 wins with 18 knockouts, one loss, and one draw.
The former WBC and WBA world super bantamweight champion has a 72% knockout rate compared to Magsayo’s 64%.
Figueroa’s most previous bout was against Carlos Castro in Texas last July where he won via a technical knockout, eight months after losing the two world title belts to Stephen Fulton.
Meanwhile, Magsayo who trains under Marvin Sumodio in the United States under MP Promotions of Manny Pacquiao was unbeaten before his defeat to Vargas.
Magsayo climbed to the world rankings by racking up huge wins after moving to the U.S. in 2020. The former ALA Boxing Gym star has a record of 24-1 (win-loss) with 16 knockouts.
Magsayo and Figueroa’s bout is included in the triple-header card promoted by Premier Boxing Champions which will be streamed by SHOWTIME Boxing. /rcg
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