MANILA, Philippines—Jose Haro once had a career path destined for greatness, but that took a hit in 2017 when his opponent Daniel Franco went into comatose after their bout.
A stigma befell upon Haro with fighters not taking the risk against a boxer who nearly killed his opponent.
Franco has since recovered from the incident but retired from the sport and Haro has slowly gotten back into fighting.
Haro (15-1-1) didn’t wear his gloves for more than two years after the Franco fight and only did so when he took on—and defeated—Genaro Rodriguez in February of 2020 in Tijuana.
Firmly back in the sport, Haro has another chance to climb the featherweight ladder when he takes on undefeated Filipino Mark Magsayo.
In an interview with BoxingScene.com, Haro said that he’s aware of the importance of his fight against Magsayo and that a win will bring him closer to the title landscape.
“I’m excited,” said Haro in the report. “Coming into boxing, I feel like every professional fighter’s number one goal is to become world champion.”
Haro was lined up to fight Lee Selby for the IBF World featherweight title in 2017 but the bout never happened and instead of pushing for another match, the Utah-based pugilist decided to step away from the sport.
Nevertheless, Haro’s already focused on his return and try to get back the momentum that he once had.
Magsayo (20-0) is already a top prospect in the featherweight division and defeating him could mean a massive boost for Haro’s return.
“When I heard about this fight, I said yes right away because I know what’s at stake. I’m obviously gonna give it my all and hopefully come out victorious and add another story to my book,” said Haro.