Huge stakes in this fight for the Filipino.
It has been nine months since Mark Magsayo entered the ring for an actual prizefight.
That layoff will end on Sunday, when Magnifico goes up against Isaac Avelar of Mexico in the former’s long-awaited debut at junior lightweight.
The fight is part of CBN Promotions’ “New Blood” card to be held at Infinite Reality Studios in Long Beach in California and broadcast live on www.FightStars.Network.
Magsayo’s first foray at 130 figures to be challenging in some respects, as Avelar is of the Mexican mold—tough, tenacious, and durable. But the talent gap seems to be tilted the way of Magnifico, whose more complete, more well-rounded style, along with his explosive power and speed, looks poised to give Avelar problems.
That doesn’t mean Magsayo is taking the Mexican lightly. In fact, it appears the Filipino is hellbent on working on the one thing that has plagued him in high-level fights, including his unanimous decision loss to another Mexican, Brandon Figueroa, back in March.
“Coach Marvin (Somodio) and I have been working on numerous parts of my game. For instance, we are starting to pace ourselves better. I feel I’ll be stronger going into the later rounds with all the specialized conditioning we’ve been doing,” Magsayo told boxingscene.com, when asked about his training camp for the fight versus Avelar.
Conditioning aside, Magnifico believes he will settle in nicely at 130—and carry over his trademark power.
“Moving up to junior lightweight will make a big difference making weight, I’ll be a lot stronger in this division,” he said. “It’s been a great training camp and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”
RELATED STORY: Ex-champ Mark Magsayo shows off power in training, looks ready for junior lightweight
That comeback will happen soon enough, and Magsayo sure knows what is at stake the next time he enters the ring in a prizefight.
“A victory will get me notoriety at 130 pounds, where I feel I can become a two-division world champion,” said the former featherweight titleholder.
Yes, the stakes are high for Magnifico on this one, and he will have to be at his best.