Filipino pugilists Mark Magsayo and Eumir Marcial notched big wins in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios fight card on Sunday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The two Filipinos, who are aiming to follow in the footsteps of Pacquiao as champion and perhaps even an all-timer, took a big step towards those ambitious goals with impressive performances to start off the fight card of their comebacking compatriot.
Eumir Marcial Opens the Show with Explosive Performance
Opening the Pacquiao-Barrios fight card was Eumir Marcial, who made sure there were fireworks early with a sensational knockout of American Bernard Joseph. The former Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist stamped his class early and often, setting the tone right in the second round with a cracking right hook that sent the American to the canvass.
It was a portent of things to come for the rugged Filipino middleweight, who continued his assault in the third round, where he disposed of Joseph for good with stunning combinations highlighted by three powerful lefts in succession. That was all she wrote for the American, who dropped to 11-2-1 with 5 KOs.
Eumir Marcial, on the other hand, hiked his professional record to 6-0, with four of those wins coming via stoppage.
Mark Magsayo Outlasts Tough Mexican Foe
Former WBC featherweight beltholder Mark Magsayo fashioned out a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Jorge Mata in a war of attrition.
Magsayo, who is now campaigning at junior lightweight (130 pounds) started off strong, pressing the action and going after the Mexican, whom the Filipino featherweight clipped with some explosive shots in the fourth for a decisive round in his favor. But Mata proved to be a tough and resilient customer, taking all of Magsayo’s best shots and firing off some of his own, especially in the middle rounds.
But Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) continued to be the more aggressive fighter and closed the show by going after Mata in the 10th for a possible knockdown or stoppage. Mata (21-3-2, 13 KOs), though, survived to send the fight to the scorecards, where two judges scored it 98-92 and one had it 100-90 all in Magsayo’s favor.
The win is Magsayo’s fourth in a row after two consecutive defeats to Rey Vargas (to whom he lost the WBC featherweight belt) and Brandon Figueroa (for the vacant WBC interim featherweight crown).
Marcial, Magsayo Move Forward
The twin wins mean Eumir Marcial and Mark Magsayo are on track for title shots, with the former hiking his unbeaten streak and the latter showing he’s back in peak form after those back-to-back losses. For Marcial, a step up in competition is likely in order to see how he’ll fare against better, more established foes. For Magsayo, dates with contenders should fast-track his rise back to elite status.
