Magsayo takes on different persona

It took a while for the sportswriters to recognize the boxer seated across their row in the long dining table of a popular restaurant in Quezon City.

With his new image, Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo, one of the most promising boxers from the ALA stable, was indeed unrecognizable.

For one, he was the only fighter wearing a blazer that day. And unlike before when he dressed very simply and hardly attracted attention, he was now well-groomed, bejeweled and his hair was salon-styled.

Also, while before he used to sit quietly in a corner during press briefings, now he was eager to talk. When asked how he would handle his opponent, Eduardo Montoya of Mexico, in their fight on Feb. 27 at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, he said, in Filipino, that he would not waste time in finishing him off.

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“Bakbakan agad, pabagsakin ko siya!” Magsayo declared, to the surprise of all, since he had always been low-key before and never made such a bold pronouncement.

Admittedly though, Magsayo became a more interesting persona since he now exuded toughness and confidence, which matched his demeanor atop the ring.

Magsayo appeared at the press briefing last week with his ALA stablemates, all of them young, with the flashy “Prince” Albert Pagara being the oldest at 22. The Prince headlines the youthful cast as he faces challenger Yesner “Cuajadita Talavera of Nicaragua for the WBO Intercontinental junior featherweight title.

ALA president Michael Aldeguer has dangled an incentive for El Magnifico if he performs well against Montoya.

Magsayo said he will do his best to collect Aldeguer’s incentive which is to be in the undercard of the Nonito Donaire Jr. title fight on April 23 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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Meanwhile, the mandatory fight between Donnie Nietes and Mexican Moises Fuentes will have to wait if the World Boxing Organization agrees to Aldeguer’s proposal to change the Nietes timetable.

Aldeguer wants Nietes to fight Raul Garcia first before he faces Fuentes, whom he will be clashing with for the third time if ever their fight pushes through. Nietes beat Garcia’s twin brother, Ramon, via unanimous decision in 2011.

No matter who the country’s longest-reigning world champion is matched against, the fight will most likely be held in September in California.

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HOOPVINE: Phoenix Petroleum, the newest team in the PBA, will be launched Wednesday at a new hotel in Quezon City … Phoenix has bought the Barako Bull franchise from previous owner Bert Lina … The second conference of the PCBL (Philippine Commercial Basketball League) opens Feb. 21, with a slight change in roster.