Filipino boxer Mark Magsayo suffered his third professional defeat on Sunday, losing via unanimous decision to American prizefighter Andres Cortes on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Magsayo, who won his Zuffa debut earlier this year, lost on all three scorecards, 97-93, as Cortes controlled much of the 10-round fight and the Filipino’s late charge fell short. The loss dropped the former champion’s record to 29-3 with 19 knockouts and 1-1 under Zuffa Boxing. Cortes, meanwhile, improved to 26-0 with 13 KOs.
Cortes Overwhelms Magsayo
Cortes switched things up against Magsayo from the get-go. Rather than stay outside and outbox the Filipino, the American charged ahead and was the aggressor early and often. He routinely crowded Magsayo to land crisp combinations while also denying him space to launch his quick, explosive attacks.
The unbeaten contender was so in control that he made Magsayo touch the canvas several times. Two of those were initially called knockdowns but later reversed by referee Celestino Ruiz, while two more weren’t ruled as knockdowns altogether.
Despite Magsayo catching a break from those uncalled knockdowns, his rally late still couldn’t stem the tide as Cortes had already built a sizable lead by the time the Filipino began finding some rhythm of his own.
What This Loss Means
This loss should sting for the Boholano boxer, who was gunning for the lightweight crown and riding on a five-fight winning streak prior to the fight with Cortes. That title chase figures to be stalled as the unbeaten American will likely leapfrog the Filipino for championship contention.
At the moment, Shakur Stevenson—rumored to be in talks with the Manny Pacquiao camp for a potential megafight—is the top dog at lightweight and the biggest name in Zuffa Boxing. Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela appears to be second, with Cortes emerging as No. 3. That leaves Magsayo on the fringes and in need of another streak of impressive wins to get back into the title picture.
