Mark Magsayo vs. Brandon Figueroa Odds and Predictions
It’s not even March yet, but one of the biggest boxing events of the year is nearly upon us. Two former world champions, each in the heart of their prime, facing off to claim the vacant Interim WBC Featherweight Title and claim their place as world champions. Even better, it’s taking place right in Ontario.
Unfortunately, it’s not the Ontario that Canadian boxing fans are used to: rather, it’s Ontario, California, part of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.
The 12 round matchup is set to take place on March 4, 2023 at 9pm eastern, hosted at Ontario’s Toyota Arena.
Figueroa vs Magsayo: Comparing Their Careers
Both Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo have near-perfect records. Each has fought in 25 matches in their professional careers. Figueroa has won 23, with one loss and one draw. Magsayo, who hails from the city of Tagbilaran in the Philippines, has 24 wins and just one loss. Magsayo began boxing at the age of eight, and fought in an estimated 200 fights before going pro, per The Sun.
Magsayo is one of boxing’s great success stories, his rags-to-riches origins worthy of cinema. He got his passion for boxing from fellow Filipino (and former featherweight world champion) Manny Pacquiao, looking at the sport as a way to bring his family out of poverty: Magsayo worked to help support his family even before he turned ten, selling ice cream while balancing his boxing training and schoolwork. Magsayo later studied under legendary trainer Freddie Roach, who helped turn Pacquiao into one of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen.
How They Stack Up
Figueroa is a much lankier fighter than Magsayo: he’s two inches taller (5’8 vs 5’6) and has a longer reach (72.5 inches vs 68 inches). However, Magsayo is the bulkier fighter (weighing in at 126 pounds, while Figueroa is just under 122 pounds), and his squatter build and lower center of gravity could give him an advantage. As of the evening of February 23, Figueroa was listed as the overwhelming favorite, sitting at or around -315 at a host of sportsbooks in Ontario.
That could be because of the size discrepancy, in part, but it also doesn’t help that Magsayo is coming off the first loss of his professional career.
Fighting Through Adversity
Magsayo had to surrender the WBC Featherweight title back in July after an upset loss to Rey Vargas. The featherweight groupings have been a hot potato of late, with no boxer managing to hold on to the title for long. Vargas later reclassified to super featherweight, losing that title to O’Shaquie Foster in a January upset. It’s anyone’s guess who will manage to claim the title after this bout, much less if they’ll manage to hang on to it for more than a single fight.
Figueroa has also gone through a rough patch as of late, this one outside the ring. He suffered the first loss of his career via a majority decision against Stephen Fulton in November of 2021, before rebounding to defeat Carlos Castro with a sixth round technical knockout in the same event that saw Vargas dethrone Magsayo. More recently, Figueroa was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated in his hometown of Weslaco, Texas after his blood alcohol content came back as twice the legal limit. Brandon Figueroa is the younger brother of Omar Figueroa Jr., who held the WBC lightweight title in 2014. The elder Figueroa has been arrested for driving under the influence on three separate occasions, the latest occasion in 2018: one hopes that the brothers manage to overcome their struggles.
Scouting the Opponent: Finding Victory in a Loss?
Magsayo said that he’ll use the lessons he learned from the loss against Vargas in order to better prepare against Figueroa. Vargas, like Figueroa, possessed a significant reach advantage against the diminutive Magsayo, who said he’ll adjust by using his stronger base.
“I learned from my last fight that I needed to adjust for a fighter with a reach advantage like Rey Vargas,” Magsayo said. “I really thought I won the fight, but I respect the judges. I’m coming to use my power and damage and hit Figueroa hard.”
Even though there is a chance (+1600) at a draw, Magsayo said that he’s certain someone is going to win the fight: the fans.
“The winner of this fight is going to be the fans,” Magsayo said. “I’m coming back stronger than ever…I’ve been training since October for this fight and it’s been great. I’ve been doing a lot of rounds in sparring. This is going to be a great fight.”
