By Ian S Palmer
The interim WBC Featherweight Title is up for grabs this Saturday, March 4th as former WBA and WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Brandon Figueroa of Weslaco, Texas takes on former WBC Featherweight champ Mark Magsayo of the Philippines. The 12-rounder from Ontario, California can be seen live in America on Showtime. Figueroa last fought in July when he stopped Carlos Castro in the sixth round. It was his first fight as a featherweight after dropping a controversial majority decision to WBO Super Bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton eight months earlier. Magsayo lost his title in his first defence when he was edged by Rey Vargas via a split decision in July after dropping Vargas in round nine. Magsayo had won his title a few months earlier when he beat Gary Russell Jr by majority decision.
The 26-year-old Figueroa captured the vacant interim WBA World Super Bantamweight Title when he stopped Yonfrez Parejo after eight rounds in April, 2019 before stopping Javier Chacon in four rounds in August and then drawing with an overweight Julio Ceja in a slugfest three months later. He was also the WBA Champion when he stopped WBC beltholder Luis Nery in seven rounds in May, 2021 to win that title. However, the geniuses who run the WBA then stripped him of their title for agreeing to fight WBO boss Fulton.
Figueroa climbs through the ropes with a fine record of 23-1-1 with 18 Ko’s and has boxed 141 rounds since turning pro in 2015. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 72.5-inch reach and possesses explosive fists with a current knockout ratio of 72 per cent. He’s also displayed a pretty solid chin up to now as well and has needed it in wins over the likes of Fulton, Chacon, Parejo, Moises Flores, Oscar Escandon, Victor Proa and Fatiou Fassinou. As an amateur, Figueroa lost to Shakur Stevenson and beat Chris Colbert.
Brandon is the younger brother of former world champion Omar Figueroa and is an excellent all-action fighter. He stepped up in class for the first time against Oscar Escandon in 2018 and passed the test with flying colours when he stopped him in the 10th round and followed up by stopping Moises Flores in the third round. However, it could be argued that he didn’t take a step forward after that with bouts against the limited Chacon and Ceja but he stepped things up again by meeting Nery, Fulton and Castro.
The 27-year-old Magsayo carries around a mark of 24-1 with 16 Ko’s and has boxed 143 rounds since making his pro debut in 2013. He also has better-than-average power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 64 per cent. Magsayo stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a wingspan of 68 inches which means he gives up two inches in height and 4.5-inches in reach to Figueroa and is also an exciting fighter thanks to his aggressive style and his power. His biggest wins so far have been over Gary Russell Jr, Julio Ceja, Yardley Cruz, Chris Avalos and Pablo Cruz.
Magsayo has been dropped a few times as a pro though, so he may not have the best of chins. However, that’s also part of what makes him such a fan-friendly boxer. Since turning pro he’s also captured the IBF Youth Featherweight Title in 2015, the WBO Youth Featherweight Title in 2016, the WBO International Featherweight Title in 2016 and the WBC Asian Boxing Council Featherweight Belt. He also had a successful amateur career by earning gold medals at the 2010 Mayor Jonas Cortes Cup, the 2012 Bantamweight (Junior Division) at the PLDT-ABAP National Boxing Championships.
Prediction…
This is a fine matchup between two boxers with similar styles and every time Figueroa steps into the ring it has the potential to be a fight-of-the-year candidate. Figueroa simply throws punches in bunches and just keeps going until eventually wearing his opponent down or stopping him. However, he also takes a lot of shots in return due to this style but so far he’s displayed a rock-solid chin. Magsayo will need to match Figueroa punch for punch to beat him and he won’t have to worry about working his way inside as Figueroa size advantage likely won’t be put to use. Fulton is the only boxer I’ve seen match Figueroa for output so far but I don’t think he deserved the decision. Still, Fulton did draw up a blueprint on how to beat Figueroa which is to match him punch for punch and Magsayo will need to follow to be successful. This should be an exciting fight from start to finish and as usual I’m going with Figueroa and his non-stop aggression.
