Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas | Showtime - July 9, 2022

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Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas WBC Featherweight Title Fight Eyed For July

Rey Vargas is closing in on a shot at becoming a two-division titlist.

Boxing Scene has learned that Vargas is in advanced talks with WBC featherweight titlist Mark Magsayo. Once finalized, the fight is expected to land on a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) in July.

Magsayo (24-0, 16KOs) claimed the WBC featherweight crown in an upset twelve-round, majority decision win over long-reigning titlist Gary Russell Jr. (31-2, 18KOs) this past January 22 at Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Showtime-televised main event came with the understanding that the winner would next face Vargas, a former WBC junior featherweight titlist from Otumba, Mexico who moved up in weight and was named mandatory challenger.

Vargas stepped aside to instead take a rust-shaking fight last November, his first since a twelve-round win over Tomoki Kameda in his final WBC junior featherweight title defense in July 2019. The combination of the pandemic and a broken leg injury left Vargas (35-0, 22KOs) out of the ring for nearly 28 months before returning on the undercard of the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Caleb Plant November 6 Showtime Pay-Per-View undercard in Las Vegas.

Magsayo earned his way to the title following a come-from-behind tenth-round knockout of Julio Ceja last August 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Magsayo knocked down Ceja in the opening round but was floored himself in round five and trailed 87-82, 86-83 and 86-83 after nine rounds before knocking out Ceja with a perfect right hand at 0:50 of round ten on the undercard of the Yordenis Ugas-Manny Pacquiao Fox Sports PPV.

Vargas was assured by the WBC of his due title shot mere days after Magsayo’s upset win. The unbeaten former titlist accepted the sanctioning body’s assurance and looked forward to the tough challenge that will now soon arrive.

“Mark Magsayo is a bigger fighter (than Russell), but he’s smarter more so than just (relying on) power,” noted Vargas. “Magsayo is very smart in the ring.”

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Magsayo to defend title vs Vargas

FILIPINO World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight champ Mark Magsayo is set to make his first title defense on July 9 against fellow unbeaten boxer Rey Vargas of Mexico at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons announced this together with Magsayo at the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum on Tuesday.

"Before Mark got his opportunity to fight (Gary) Russell Jr., Rey Vargas was the mandatory (challenger). Vargas got hurt and wasn't available to fight Russell, so we got the opportunity to fight Gary knowing that if we won, Rey Vargas was our first defense," said Gibbons.

"It was already predetermined before Mark fought that it would be Ray Vargas, which we are fine with. It will be July 9th in San Antonio, Texas. It will be shown on Showtime and we're looking for a broadcast partner here in the Philippines to have it shown also."

The 26-year-old Magsayo (24-0, 16 knockouts) stunned Russell last January 23 to become the new WBC featherweight king.

The 31-year-old Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs), on the other hand, made a successful return when he fought for the first time in two years in November against Leonardo Baez.

The 5-foot-10 Vargas was sidelined for a couple of years due to some promotional issues and a broken leg injury.

"Vargas is a good boxer. I have watched some of his fights and seen his style. This will be a good match up for me because I will be challenged for my next fight. This is going to be exciting and interesting because he's good, undefeated and tall. He has advantages but so is me," the 5-foot-6 Magsayo said.

"My advantage is my power and speed over him. He's fast at back-pedalling but I can catch him."

Magsayo, a native of Tagbilaran, Bohol, returned to the Philippines on March 3 and will only be in the country until March 23 before leaving for the United States to train at the Wildcard Gym under the tutelage of legendary coach Freddie Roach.

Magsayo said that he won't return to the Philippines until he has unified all the featherweight belts.

"We might not return home until I unified all the championships," he said. "It's a tough task but we need to work hard for it and trust in the Lord."

Meanwhile, Gibbons announced that one of MP Promotions Filipino fighters, Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial (1-0), is set to make his second professional fight on April 9 against Isiah Hart (6-2) at the Virgil Hotel.

As for Jerwin Ancajas, who just lost his super flyweight belt to Fernando Martinez last February, Gibbons said that "we're still in the process of figuring out if he wants to exercise his rematch clause against Martinez. He wants to go to 118 (bantamweight), so, this week, we'll have a meeting and look at the pros and cons to sorting that out."

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Rashidi Ellis Set For PBC Debut, Will Face Alberto Palmetta on July 9 In San Antonio

Rashidi Ellis is officially set for his Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) debut.

Boxing Scene has learned that the unbeaten welterweight will land on the already scheduled July 9 Showtime card from Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Ellis will face Argentina’s Alberto Palmetta in a welterweight bout that is expected to open the Showtime-televised tripleheader, confirming a previous breaking news report from LDubb Boxing podcast host Boog Williams.

Ellis has not fought since a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over Alexis Rocha in an October 2020 battle of unbeaten welterweights. The fight was his last with Golden Boy Promotions, with whom he severed ties last year in search of testing the free agent market. Ellis—who turned 29 in May—landed with PBC earlier this year, while waiting out a fight date which figured to come sooner than later given the platform’s active spring and summer schedule.

The waiting game saw the Lynn, Massachusetts native play the role of fan support for siblings Ronald and Rashida Ellis. Ronald Ellis has appeared on Showtime several times before, though most recently in an eleventh-round stoppage loss to unbeaten former two-time super middleweight titlist David Benavidez (27-0, 24KOs) last March in Uncasville, Connecticut. Rashida Ellis—who just turned 27—represented the U.S. as a lightweight in the delayed Tokyo Olympics last summer.

Now it’s Rashidi’s time to shine. A stiff test awaits, however, in Palmetta (17-1, 12KOs) who carries an eleven-fight win streak. The 32-year-old Argentine southpaw scored ten straight knockouts before claiming a split-decision win over Yeis Gabriel Solano in his most recent bout last October 30 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

Headlining the July 9 show, recently crowned WBC featherweight titlist Mark Magsayo (24-0, 16KOs) attempts his first title defense versus unbeaten former WBC junior featherweight beltholder Rey Vargas (35-0, 22KOs).

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Brandon Figueroa To Face Carlos Castro in co-feature bout on July 9..

Will be an eliminator for Magsayo’s WBC belt.

Fig will be making his featherweight debut.

[margaret thatcher]

maybe mark could take some of his jaw/chin and lend it to rey

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Press Release: Showtime Tripleheader Set Down, July 9

WBC Featherweight World Champion Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo will take on former world champion Rey Vargas in a battle of unbeatens that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, July 9 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature hard-hitting former world champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa taking on Carlos Castro in a WBC Featherweight Title Eliminator in the co-main event, plus the Derrick James-trained, unbeaten lightweight contender Frank Martin battles Panama’s power-punching Ricardo Núñez in the 10-round telecast opener.

“Saturday, July 9 will be topped by a showdown between champions as the Philippines’ Mark Magsayo makes his first title defense against the unbeaten Mexican, Rey Vargas, who will be looking to become a two-division champion at Alamodome on July 9 in San Antonio,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “This card will also see the return of one of the sport’s most exciting young stars, as all-action Brandon Figueroa steps back into the ring looking to make his mark in the featherweight division, beginning with a world title eliminator against the always tough Carlos Castro. Kicking off the action will be the highly-skilled rising lightweight contender, Frank Martin, in a tough test against the hard-hitting Ricardo Núñez.”

Additional coverage will include a pair of bouts streamed live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The action will see unbeaten welterweight contender Rashidi Ellis facing Argentine Olympian Alberto Palmetta in a 10-round duel, plus San Antonio’s own Ramon Cardenas battling Venezuela’s Michell Banquez in a 10-round bantamweight attraction.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and are available through Ticketmaster.com. The Martin vs. Núñez bout is promoted in association with Man Down Promotions.

The Filipino sensation Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) fights out of Pasig City, Metro Manila by way of Los Angeles, Calif., and became the latest champion from the boxing-rich nation in January when he outpointed longtime champion Gary Russell Jr. to capture the 126-pound title on SHOWTIME. The 26-year-old earned the opportunity by knocking out former champion Julio Ceja in the 10th round of a fight he trailed on the scorecards in August 2021. Magsayo is trained by Freddie Roach in Southern California and owns 12-round decision victories over Shoto Hayashi and Ramiro Robles, in addition to a sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Chris Avalos.

The former WBC 122-pound world champion, Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs), returned from a layoff due to injury to score a near shutout decision victory over Leonardo Baez in his featherweight debut in November 2021 on the undercard of Canelo vs. Plant. The 31-year-old went on the road to the U.K. to capture his title in 2017, winning a decision over previously unbeaten Gavin McDonnell. A native of Mexico City, Vargas made five successful defenses of his title, defeating top contenders Oscar Negrete, Ronny Rios and Azat Hovhannisyan. His fifth successful title defense came via unanimous decision over former world champion Tomoki Kameda in July 2019.

The 25-year-old Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) will debut at 126 pounds after dropping a 2021 Fight of the Year contender against Stephen Fulton Jr. in November on SHOWTIME, in which the two champions traded blows for 12 grueling rounds, eventually leading to what some observers thought was a controversial majority decision loss. Figueroa used his youth and relentless pressure to become the first person to defeat Luis Nery in their championship clash on SHOWTIME prior to the Fulton fight. A native of Weslaco, Texas, who has previously fought in San Antonio six times, Figueroa added to his family’s legacy by capturing the world title, joining his brother Omar Figueroa, who previously held the lightweight world championship.

Castro (27-1, 12 KOs) was born in Sonora, Mexico and came to the U.S. as a child. Now living in Phoenix, Ariz., Castro most recently dropped a narrow split-decision against two-division champion Luis Nery in February, with one point on the cards ultimately holding Castro back from keeping his unbeaten record intact. The 28-year-old made his name as a 122-pound contender, but has also competed at featherweight, including a 10th round TKO victory over veteran contender Oscar Escandon in August 2021.

The 27-year-old Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) rose up the lightweight rankings in 2021 with a pair of impressive victories before most recently delivering a New Year’s Day KO over Romero Duno. In 2021, Martin knocked out the previously unbeaten Jerry Perez in a dominating performance in April, before earning a unanimous decision over Ryan Kielczweski in August. Originally from Indianapolis, Ind., Martin now trains in the Dallas-area under the guidance of top trainer James alongside unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.

Representing La Chorrera, Panama, Núñez (23-3, 21 KOs) enters this fight with knockout victories in his last two fights, including most recently stopping Richard Solano in the first round in October 2021. The 28-year-old moved back up to lightweight for those two victories after challenging three-division champion Gervonta Davis in July 2019 for a 130-pound title. Núñez has fought professionally since 2010 and has a brother also named Ricardo who is a veteran pro fighter in the featherweight division.

The 29-year-old Ellis (23-0, 14 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since October 2020, having earned a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Alexis Rocha in his last outing. Originally from Lynn, Mass., Ellis also owns a pair of victories over veteran contender Eddie Gomez, including a first-round knockout over Gomez in December 2016, before winning by unanimous decision in their 2019 rematch. He takes on the Buenos Aires, Argentina native Palmetta (17-1, 12 KOs), who represented his home country at the 2016 Olympics before turning pro in November 2016. The 32-year-old has won his last 11 fights, with 10 coming by stoppage, including most recently defeating Yeis Solano in October 2021.

San Antonio’s Cardenas (20-1, 10 KOs) will look to run his current winning streak to nine when he competes in front of his hometown crowd on July 9. The 26-year-old added a pair of victories to his resume in 2021, having most recently stopped Marvin Solano in three rounds last August. He will be opposed by the 31-year-old Banquez (20-1, 14 KOs), who is originally from Venezuela and now fights out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.. Banquez had a successful U.S. debut in January, as he stopped the previously unbeaten Joahnys Argilagos in six rounds, building off of a 12-round decision over the previously unbeaten Prince Patel in July 2019.

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Main Card

Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas
12 rounds, featherweight – Magsayo’s WBC featherweight title

Brandon Figueroa vs. Carlos Castro
12 rounds, featherweight – WBC featherweight title eliminator

Frank Martin vs. Ricardo Nunez
10 rounds, lightweight

Undercard

Rashidi Ellis vs. Alberto Palmetta
10 rounds, welterweight

Ramon Cardenas vs. Michell Banquez
10 rounds, bantamweight

[Cent0089]

Frank Martin back in action one of my favorite prospects

[margaret thatcher]

frank martin always looks really good and was a top amateur too, won national golden gloves by dropping and beating vergil ortiz. wish theyd move him a bit more ambitiously. get him into the mix with the top lightweights

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Rey Vargas: Magsayo Has Great Power - But We'll Be Ready To Counter That

“I am very thankful to my team for giving me the opportunity to defend my title in San Antonio,” said Magsayo.

“I’m excited to be fighting in the same venue where my idol Manny Pacquiao fought Marco Antonio Barrera. That was the first fight I ever saw and the reason I started boxing. We are preparing for a strong Mexican fighter in Rey Vargas. Everyone knows what the Philippines vs. Mexico boxing rivalry brings to the ring and I’m excited to display my talents for the boxing fans in Texas and watching around the world.”

“This fight on July 9 will be a great battle against the Filipino warrior Mark Magsayo,” said Vargas.

“This is going to be exciting combat from start to finish. We know that he has great power, but we’ll be ready to counter that, and anything else he brings to the ring. This is going to be a magnificent fight and I can’t wait to step in there and compete.”

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Fight Week!

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Mark Magsayo: There's Gonna Be A Knockout If Rey Vargas Is Not Gonna Run Too Much

Mark Magsayo hopes he is wrong, but the unbeaten WBC featherweight champion expects that he’ll have to chase after Rey Vargas during their 12-round title fight Saturday night.

Vargas’ history suggests that he won’t engage with a puncher like Magsayo, who will make the first defense of the 126-pound championship he won from Gary Russell Jr. five months ago. The taller, rangier Vargas regularly boxes off his back foot, which will present a challenge for the heavy-handed Magsayo in the main event of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” tripleheader at Alamodome in San Antonio.

“He always goes backward all fight,” Magsayo told BS.com. “I hope this coming fight he’s not gonna run too much. There’s gonna be a knockout if he’s not gonna run too much.”

The Philippines’ Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) feels his majority-decision victory over Russell (31-2, 18 KOs) helped prepare him for how to handle Vargas, who, unlike Russell, is a right-handed boxer. Russell took a very defensive approach to his fight with Magsayo, particularly after Russell aggravated a pre-existing injury to his right shoulder early in the fourth round of their 12-round bout January 22 at Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Russell, a southpaw from Capitol Heights, Maryland, defended himself well during the final eight-plus rounds of their bout, even while essentially boxing with one arm. Magsayo still won on two scorecards (115-113, 115-113, 114-114) to upset an opponent who entered the ring as boxing’s longest-reigning champion.

“To win this fight, I’ll have to use my footwork,” Magsayo said. “It’s hard to catch him. The guy is tall and he’s gonna run, so I need to make adjustments, just like the Gary Russell fight. He was too small and he was gonna run, so it’s hard to hit them when they run.”

Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs) outboxed fellow Mexican Leonardo Baez (21-5, 12 KOs) and handily won a 10-round unanimous decision in his featherweight debut November 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The former WBC super bantamweight champion is the WBC’s mandatory challenger for the title Magsayo won from Russell.

“I saw his training, his sparring,” Magsayo said. “He’s always [going] backward, backward, staying away from his opponent. In the gym, we’ve trained for different styles – slugger, a brawler fighter and a [boxer]. Whatever his style is in this fight, we’re ready.”

Magsayo-Russell will headline a three-bout broadcast scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

The telecast will begin with a 10-round bout between Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs), a lightweight contender from Indianapolis, and Jackson Marinez (19-2, 7 KOs). Former WBC super bantamweight champ Brandon Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, and Phoenix’s Carlos Castro (27-1, 12 KOs) are set to square off in the 12-round co-feature, a WBC featherweight elimination match.

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Alberto Palmetta Suffers Back Injury, Forced To Withdraw From Fight With Rashidi Ellis

Rashidi Ellis is not off to the fresh start he hoped would come with new representation.

Boxing Scene has learned that Argentina’s Alberto Palmetta (17-1, 12KOs) has suffered a back injury and has been pulled from his planned welterweight bout with Ellis. The two were due to collide this Saturday at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with their bout to air live on Showtime’s YouTube channel preceding a televised tripleheader.

Ellis’ placement on the show is questionable at best, with the likelihood that he will have to eye a future date for his Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) debut given the development has taken place so close to fight night. The 29-year-old from Lynn, Massachusetts signed with PBC earlier this year after having not fought since an October 2020 win over Alexis Rocha in a battle of unbeaten welterweights.

Ellis (23-0, 14KOs) was then sidelined for more than a year while still under contract with Golden Boy Promotions before becoming a promotional free agent.

The rest of the Showtime card remains intact, though only after a replacement was sought for one other bout.

Rising lightweight prospect Frank Martin (15-0, 11KOs) will open the telecast against fringe contender Jackson Marinez (19-2, 7KOs), who was brought in after originally scheduled Ricardo Nunez (23-3, 21KOs) of La Chorrea, Panama was unable to secure a travel visa in time.

Former WBC junior featherweight titlist Brandon Figueroa (22-1-1, 17KOs) of Weslaco, Texas faces Phoenix’s Carlos Castro (27-1, 12KOs) in the evening’s co-feature, which is advertised as a WBC featherweight title eliminator. That status would put the winner in line to challenge whomever emerges victorious in the main event between Philippines’ WBC featherweight titlist Mark Magsayo (24-0, 16KOs) and Otumba, Mexico’s Rey Vargas (35-0, 22KOs), an unbeaten former WBC 122-pound titleholder who is the betting favorite to become a two-division champ on Saturday.

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Stats and Stakes

Mark Magsayo

Age: 27
Title: WBC Featherweight (2022-Present, 1st Defense)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’6
Weight: 125 ½ lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Rizal, Metro Manila, Philippines
Record: 24-0, 16 KO
Press Rankings: #2 (Ring, BoxRec), #3 (TBRB), #4 (ESPN), #10 (TBRB)
Record in Major Title Fights: 1-0
Last Five Opponents: 148-16-2 (.898)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: None
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Pungluang Sor Singyu UD12; Julio Ceja KO10; Gary Russell Jr. MD12

vs.

Rey Vargas

Age: 31
Current Title: None
Previous Titles: WBC Super Bantamweight (2017-20, 5 Defenses)
Height: 5’10 ½
Weight: 125 ½ lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Mexico City, Mexico
Record: 35-0, 22 KO
Press Rankings: Unranked
Record in Major Title Fights: 6-0
Last Five Opponents: 106-12 (.898)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Oscar Negrete UD12; Tomoki Kameda UD12
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Alexander Munoz TKO5

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Date: Saturday July 9, 2022
Location: Alamodome - San Antonio, TX
TV/Stream: Showtime

Start Times
Showtime: 9 pm ET | 6 pm PT | 2 am BST (Main Card)
Showtime: 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT | 12 am BST (Preliminary Card)

Promoted by: Premier Boxing Champions

Main Card

WBC Featherweight Championship
Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas

12 Round WBC Featherweight Title Eliminator
Brandon Figueroa vs. Carlos Castro

10 Round Lightweight Bout
Frank Martin vs. Jackson Marinez

Undercard

10 Round Welterweight Bout
Rashidi Ellis vs. Jose Marrufo

10 Round Bantamweight Bout
Ramon Cardenas vs. Michell Banquez

Non-televised Undercard

6 Round Welterweight Bout
John Rincon vs. Weah Archiebald

4 Round Featherweight Bout
Sequiel Hernandez vs. Joshua Montoya

4 Round Middleweight Bout
Raymond Guajardo vs. Dario Guerrero-Meneses

4 Round Super Bantamweight Bout
Albert Gonzalez vs. Alberto Alvarez

4 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Fabian Diaz vs. Julio Gomez

4 Round Featherweight Bout
Xavier Bocanegra vs. Travis Crawford

4 Round Middleweight Bout
Samuel Arnold vs. Antonio Hernandez

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ellis just got a 1st round win.

Main card starts in just over an hour.

Who’s watching??

[CMCanavessi]

Great fight so far. Big cut on Vargas who is winning the fight at the end of the 6th

[Ruthless-RKO]

Vargas was dropped in rd9.

Won a split decision:

This was Mags chance to show he didn’t just beat an injured Russell. He’s had a short reign.

He didn’t do bad.

[Dioufy]

I don’t know the result yet. Anyone got a link to the fight?

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CompuBox Stats



Rey Vargas uses his length and output to take the WBC title from Mark Magsayo via twelve round split decision. Vargas held a 196-132 overall connect advantage. Vargas threw 236 more punches than Magsayo. In the end, Magsayo will wish he was more active in trying to retain his belt.

The scores were 115-112 Vargas, 114-113 Magsayo and 115-112 Vargas.

[handsofstone]

Had it 116-111 for Vargas but could easily see it a round closer , he boxed really well for the most part, was able to time and counter Magsayo pretty easily especially with the left hook some nice work, threw the combinations to the body, for too many spells Magsayo looked intent on landing that big shot mainly the right hand, he managed to land it in the 9th to drop Vargas but after looking to maybe get control of the fight Vargas recovered and finished back in the driving seat

[Dioufy]

I had Magsayo winning 7-5 so with the knockdown 115-112.

Thought Maggy won the first 2 and 5 of the last 6 when Vargas was on the back foot not looking recovered from the shot that put him over.

Found the PBC comms very pro Vargas for some reason.

I thought he was lucky.