Mark Magsayo has admitted to being bothered by the social media hate he has received in the wake of his unanimous‑decision loss to Andres Cortes.
“Masakit at handa ako sa laban, pero puro batikos ang inabot ko sa mga kababayan natin,” he told veteran scribe Quinito Henson. “Sino ba gustong matalo? Mayroon lang talagang mga pangyayari na di inaasahan sa boxing. Ang ibang kababayan natin nababasa ko sabi ay mamatay na raw ako kung di ako mag‑retire. Bakit ganyan ang Pinoy? May pamilya ako. Napakasakit na sasabihin kinakahiya ako at mamatay na raw ako.”
Magsayo, a former world champion at 126, looked outclassed in the loss to Cortes, repeatedly beaten to the punch for much of the early rounds and unable to deal with the American’s tactics for most of the 10‑round fight. He suffered only the third loss of his career and the first under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Magsayo Laments Cortes’s ‘Dirty Game’
After the loss, Magnifico owned up to the setback on X, offering no excuses and crediting Cortes for fighting “a great fight.” Now, he appears to be singing a different tune, blasting the American for his “dirty game” and saying the outcome could have been different without the “dirty tactics” and if he had not been injured.
“Dami ko tinanggap na suntok sa back of the head at elbows, at tinulak ako palagi pababa. Hindi na‑warning ng referee. Tiniis ko lang ang injury ko at nakabwelo ako ng kaunti sa late rounds pero kulang na ako sa oras,” he told Henson. “Wala akong problema sa stamina. Kahit late rounds, malakas pa ang hangin ko. Kita naman sa galaw ko. Naunahan lang ako ng dirty game. Next time, maging mas maingat at mas‑smart ako. Sayang at kaya ko siya talunin kung ‘di lang ako nadala sa dirty tactics at na‑injury, pero I’m learning from this. Stay ako sa lightweight at okay naman ang timbang.”
Injured and Set for Surgery
Now, Magsayo’s immediate concern is to get his injury taken care of as he is scheduled to have surgery on October 2. The plan, according to Magnifico, is to rest for six weeks and then start preparing for his next fight.
At the moment, it is still unclear what plans Zuffa has for Mark Magsayo. Whatever they may be, he will likely have to work his way back up to contender status after his unimpressive showing against Cortes.
