Promise of a magical match-up
Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo. FACEBOOK PHOTO
Mark Magsayo owns a sparkling undefeated slate—17 wins highlighted by 11 KOs. His last win earlier this year was registered as a demolition of a Tanzanian journeyman who got blown out after only two minutes of the first round.
Given a chance, Magsayo, 22, would’ve jumped at a crack for the world featherweight boxing championship after that easy job.
Not so fast, said his boss, Michael Aldeguer of the ALA Boxing Stable of Cebu.
Was it Magsayo’s fault that he was in a great rush and didn’t give the Tanzanian foe to know where he stood before being crushed?
Magsayo, 22, the WBO International featherweight title-holder, is ranked No. 2 featherweight by the WBO.
He defends his international title against Shota Hayashi, 29, of Japan on Nov. 25.
Hayashi, ranked seventh featherweight in his country, is rated 44th featherweight by BoxRec. He has a record of 30 wins and six losses.
The bout, mainer of Pinoy Pride 43, will be Magsayo’s first fight in his hometown Tagbilaran, Bohol.
There’s a little problem: Magsayo could get carried away and tear at his Japanese foe right off the bell, with the fight in peril of slipping early into a mismatch.
Here’s hoping Hayashi could square off well to deal Magsayo the necessary test his handlers have been asking for.
Anyway, before Magsayo, there’s the promise of a colorful and exciting match featuring Filipino Jerwin Ancajas (27-1-1), who will make a third defense of his IBF super flyweight crown in Belfast, Ireland, against undefeated Jamie Conlan (19-0, 11 KOs).
The championship is set on Nov. 18, and handlers of Ancajas said the lead warrior of the Manny Pacquiao Promotions will come in stronger and faster. His record stands at 27-wins, one loss, one draw, with 19 knockouts.
Ancajas is reportedly a 4-1 favorite, but he will be fighting inside a gym full of roaring Irish Conlan supporters.
Meanwhile, avid boxing fans hereabouts wonder if there’s one big world championship left for them to savor before the boxing year draws to a close.
Indeed, there’s one bout that could soar and sparkle into a magical match-up at the Madison Square Garden In New York on Dec. 9.
It promises to be a fight for the ages, pitting a couple of celebrated Olympic double-gold medalists.
Vasyl Lomachenko versus Guillermo Rigondeaux, take your pick.
The feared Lomachenko (9 wins, one loss) is slightly favored over the smaller Rigondeaux, a Cuban émigré with a 17-0 pro record, who will be going two divisions up in a bid to capture the Ukrainian’s WBO super featherweight crown.
Bernard Hopkins sides with Lomachenko, but Roberto Duran swears Rigo will be invincible.
It could finish as fight of the year. Tickets were sold out the same week they were offered.
