In an exciting contest between two former world champions determined to return to world title glory, Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa improved round-by-round to win a unanimous determination over Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo, capturing the vacant Interim WBC Featherweight Title dwell on SHOWTIME from Toyota Area in Ontario, Calif. topping a Premier Boxing Champions occasion.
“Man, I simply went on the market and wished it and took the combat proper to him,” stated Figueroa. “I wished this combat so unhealthy. He got here again a bit, however as soon as I hit him with a physique shot it affected him and I put stress, stress, stress on him.”
In a combat that didn’t seem as one-sided because the judges’ scorecards, Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) received by scores of 117-109 twice and 118-108. SHOWTIME’s Corridor of Fame unofficial scorer Steve Farhood noticed the combat 114-112 in favor of Figueroa, with two Magsayo level deductions for holding the distinction within the combat on his scorecard.
“I assumed the combat was a lot nearer than the scores indicated,” Magsayo stated. “I don’t know the best way to clarify the scorecards or the purpose deductions. It’s very disappointing. I plan to maneuver as much as 130 kilos after this combat.”
Figueroa, who averages 92 punches thrown per spherical all through his profession, was restricted to 54 punches thrown per spherical in opposition to Magsayo (24-2, 16 KOs). Figueroa threw 60 extra punches than Magsayo however landed three fewer punches and the fighters have been separated by greater than 4 landed punches in simply three of the twelve rounds.
Figueroa began slowly and needed to stand up to Magsayo’s finest photographs early within the combat, demonstrating that he has the most effective chins in boxing. However Magsayo drained because the rounds went on and was twice penalized for holding in rounds eight and eleven.
Figueroa, the previous 122-pound world champion, is now in line to face WBC Featherweight World Champion Rey Vargas subsequent. Vargas was ringside Saturday night time.
“I felt sturdy,” the 26-year-old native of Weslaco, Texas stated. “I simply don’t cease. I don’t get drained and I’m relentless and I got here ahead and I wished the combat. Whoever desires to combat me, I’ll combat. I wish to combat for a world title. I simply wish to give the followers the fights they need.”
In a slugfest of a co-main occasion, power-punching Mexican Armando Reséndiz (14-1, 10 KOs) delivered a star-making efficiency, battering “Swift” Jarrett Hurd (24-3, 16 KOs) and spoiling the previous unified 154-pound world champion’s comeback combat. The ringside doctor stopped the competition 5 seconds into the tenth and remaining spherical because of a extreme laceration on Hurd’s lip.
The decided Reséndiz outworked Hurd, touchdown 280 of his 780 punches thrown, probably the most linked punches of any Hurd opponent. Within the spirited middleweight scrap, Hurd had his moments on the assault, connecting on 228 of his 562 (40 %) punches thrown. Nonetheless, Hurd, in his first combat in 21 months, was unable to beat Reséndiz’s stress and quantity punching. Reséndiz landed 206 energy punches, ultimately opening up a deep lower on Hurd’s lip that induced the combat to finish. On the time of the stoppage, Reséndiz was forward on all three judges’ scorecards.
“I used to be visualizing this combat for thus lengthy, how I used to be going to win this combat,” Reséndiz stated within the ring by means of SHOWTIME interpreter Felix DeJesus. “It was all about coronary heart, however I do know I might be even higher and also you’ll see what I imply in my subsequent combat. I informed everybody I used to be prepared to go to conflict, I’m Mexican, in spite of everything. It was a robust, bodily combat similar to we anticipated. The outcomes communicate for themselves.”
Hurd tried working his jab early, touchdown a complete of 27 jabs in rounds three and 4, however preventing for simply the third time in over three years, Hurd pale because the rounds went on. In rounds six by means of 9, Reséndiz landed 106 energy punches whereas limiting Hurd to 69 landed energy punches.
“I knew this was going to be a troublesome, toe-to-to combat primarily based on our types,” stated the 32-year-old Hurd, who misplaced inside the gap for the primary time in his profession. “However I solely needed to make it yet another spherical. I want I might have completed it, however my lip was lower too unhealthy. So, congratulations to Reséndiz. I positively want I might have continued. At no level was I harm in any respect in that combat, however I’ve to respect what the medical doctors say and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Within the telecast opener, fast-rising teenager Elijah Garcia (14-0, 12 KOs) rose to the event in a large step-up combat, dropping and stopping beforehand undefeated middleweight contender Amilcar Vidal, Jr. (16-1, 12 KOs) with a barrage of punches at 2:17 of the fourth spherical. Watch the KO HERE.
From the opening bell, Garcia initiated a two-way motion combat that got here to a sudden finish when Vidal was shocked by a proper hand to the pinnacle and retreated in opposition to the ropes in quest of cowl. The 19-year-old Garcia sensed he had harm his opponent and pounced, unleashing a flurry of punches that dropped Vidal and compelled referee Jack Reiss to cease the combat.
“That is what everybody desires of, so this isn’t a shock,” stated Phoenix’s Garcia, who has now stopped six of his final seven opponents. “That is what I labored for since I turned professional so we’re going to maintain shifting ahead one step at a time.”
By simply three-and-a-half rounds of a back-and-forth affair, each fighters have been bloodied and mixed for 189 punches landed and 593 punches thrown. The ability punches have been the distinction within the combat as Garcia landed 54 % of his energy punches to Vidal’s 46 %. Within the fourth spherical, Garcia landed 62 % of his energy punches together with the all-decisive remaining blows.
“I keep prepared and mentally I’m sturdy,” Garcia continued. “I do know mentally I may need misplaced the primary couple of rounds, however I used to be breaking him down. He began backing up. He’s a terrific opponent. No disrespect to him. I caught him and I completed him. I’m unsure what I harm him with, however I do know I harm him and for me being 19 I’ve the maturity to inform in the event that they’re harm or not.”
After emphatically asserting himself to the boxing world in his nationwide tv debut, Garcia promised that his newly earned followers could be seeing a lot extra of him.
“I’d develop into a champion earlier than I’m 21 or 22,” he stated. “I is likely to be forward of schedule.”
In SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN motion that streamed dwell on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Fb web page, U.S. Olympian and tremendous welterweight contender Terrell Gausha (23-3-1, 12 KOs) scored three fast knockdowns to overpower and cease Brandyn Lynch (12-2-1, 9 KOs) within the ninth spherical. Plus, sensational welterweight prospect Travon Marshall (8-0, 7 KOs) scored a thunderous third-round knockout over veteran Justin DeLoach Dock (19-6, 10 KOs) and SHOBOX veteran Samuel Teah (19-4-1, 8 KOs) rode a primary spherical knockdown to a unanimous determination victory over beforehand undefeated tremendous light-weight Enriko Gogokhia (13-1-2, 8 KOs). Watch the Gausha stoppage HERE and the Marshall KO HERE.
Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will replay Sunday, March 5 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME and Monday, March 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosted the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast whereas versatile fight sports activities voice Mauro Ranallo dealt with blow-by-blow motion alongside Corridor of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Corridor of Famers rounded out the telecast workforce – Emmy® award profitable reporter Jim Grey, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. and boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer. The manager producer was four-time Emmy Award winner David Dinkins, Jr., with Bob Dunphy, son of Corridor of Fame Boxing announcer Don Dunphy, directing. Sportscaster Alejandro Luna known as the motion in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) with former world champion and SHOBOX: The New Era® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez serving because the professional analyst.
The SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN present was hosted by award-winning MORNING KOMBAT dwell digital talk-show hosts Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, who additionally serves as an professional analyst on the favored SHOBOX® sequence.
