Dangerous foe likely for Magsayo
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 01 Aug 2020
Mark Magsayo (right) and JohnRiel Casimero in Redondo Beach, near L. A., on a fishing expedition.
A fighter who sent an opponent to a hospital and into retirement three years ago is likely to face IBF No. 4 featherweight Mark Magsayo of Tacloban in a 10-rounder in Los Angeles on Sept. 23 but while the fight has still to be confirmed by MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons, the Filipino banger known as “Magnifico” is stepping up his training with strength/conditioning coach Justin Fortune and Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym.
The probable adversary is Mexican-American Jose (Pepito) Haro who in 2017, halted Daniel Franco in the eighth round to capture the vacant United States Boxing Association featherweight crown in Iowa. Franco was brought out of the ring on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to drain two blood clots in the brain. A portion of Franco’s skull was removed as he was placed in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. Franco survived but will never fight again.
Haro, 33, is called “Hard Luck.” When he was 12, his father caught him shoplifting a Twix candy bar and a bag of Reese’s Pieces from a store and brought him to the gym to learn discipline. In the gym, Haro was introduced to boxing and became a Junior Olympian on the way to turning pro in 2010 with younger brother Eric as trainer. While boxing, Haro worked as a Pepsi delivery man, bringing cases to supermarkets from 3 a.m to 12 noon five days a week. His ring career was stalled in 2015 when he was shot in both feet by a gunman for no apparent reason at a Walmart parking lot. The gunman was sentenced to nine to 15 years in jail. Haro was back in the ring after six months. Another bad break was a running accident where Haro broke his left foot which now has a screw. Despite the hardships, Haro is relentless in pursuing his boxing career for his wife Yesenia and their five children.
Haro had nearly a three-year layoff after the Franco tragedy then returned to action last Feb. 29, outpointing Genaro Rodriguez in a sixer in Tijuana. It was Haro’s seventh straight win since 2015 as he raised his record to 15-1-1, with 8 KOs. Magsayo’s record is 20-0, with 14 KOs.
Magsayo, 25, arrived in Los Angeles from Manila last July 1 and lives in an apartment at the back of the Wild Card Gym, provided by Gibbons. Every morning, he trains with Fortune and in the afternoon, he reports to Roach for private sessions. “Mark’s a good kid and a hard worker,” said Fortune. “Haro’s a tough guy but Mark’s tougher and a much bigger puncher.” At Wild Card, Magsayo has sparred with Armenian Azat (Crazy A) Hovhannisyan, a one-time world title challenger who knocked out Filipinos Glenn Porras and Lolita Sonsona last year.
When Magsayo and his wife Frances landed in L. A., Gibbons arranged for COVID-19 tests and they both tested negative. “Hindi kami namamasyal, gym bahay gym lang kami,” said Magsayo. “Super safe ang lugar namin, maganda at tahimik. Kay Sir Justin, conditioning kami 6 a.m., exactly one hour pero non-stop, tuluy-tuloy, water break lang tapos balik kaagad. Kung minsan, sa rooftop ng gym ni Sir Justin, kung minsan takbo kami sa UCLA. Training kami ni coach Freddie sa Wild Card umpisa 2 p.m., mga two hours, mitts, bagging, correct mistakes ko at may sparring din.”
Last Saturday, Magsayo took a break and went fishing at Redondo Beach, a 30-minute drive from downtown L. A. Coincidentally, WBO bantamweight champion JohnRiel Casimero and trainer Sugar Ting Ariosa drove in from Las Vegas to go fishing, too, and met up with Magsayo. “Nagkataon lang nagkita kami ni Casimero,” said Magsayo. “Nag-fishing ako late dahil ayaw kong maraming tao. Sabi ko kay Casimero, ma-swerte na champion siya at any fight OK lang kasi takot si (Naoya) Inoue sa kaniya kaya sulitin na kahit anong laban.” Magsayo caught five mackerels and cooked the fresh fish for dinner.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
SHEFFIELD FIGHT WEEK: OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN RESULTS, FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER FOR PADLEY VS FIAZ – LIVE ON DAZN
Sat, 06 Jun 2026Bruce “2.0” Seldon Jr.: From a Champion’s Son to Heavyweight Headliner
Sat, 06 Jun 2026Mexican fighter ¨Artillero¨Rodriguez passes away after suffering brain injury on weekend fight
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sat, 06 Jun 2026NEGROS OCCIDENTAL PILLARS CROWNED SBA SEASON 2 CHAMPIONS
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 06 Jun 2026Weights from Japan: Llover - 117.7 lbs., Angeletti - 117.5 lbs.
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 05 Jun 2026Antonio Vargas Locked in for Career-Defining Title Defense Against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez as Training Camp Winds Down
Fri, 05 Jun 2026Weights From ‘Vazquez vs. Lugo’ Event from College Park Center in Arlington, TX, & Broadcast Live on ProBoxTV
Fri, 05 Jun 2026SHEFFIELD FIGHT WEEK PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AS JOSH PADLEY AND AQIB FIAZ FACE OFF
Fri, 05 Jun 2026“I would not say Yoka is more dangerous.” Murat Gassiev's coach Kadushin on boxer's training camp
Fri, 05 Jun 2026Homecoming for super middleweight prospect Elijah Garcia to be showcased June 20 on Kingsley Ibeh vs. Dante Stone card in Phoenix
Fri, 05 Jun 2026Amateur Standout Kayla "The Truth" Gomez Set for Professional Debut on MF Pro's "Pugilist Revolution" June 19 in Long Beach
Fri, 05 Jun 2026Tancontian to lead PH team in Sambo Asia-Oceania
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 05 Jun 2026Clarion to fight for WBC Youth World super flyweight title in Japan
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 04 Jun 20262026 NBA Finals: Knicks Steal Game 1 in San Antonio 105-95
By Reylan Loberternos, Thu, 04 Jun 2026LAMONT “THE REAPER” ROACH JR. AND WILLIAM “EL CAMARÓN” ZEPEDA TO BATTLE FOR THE WBC LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Thu, 04 Jun 2026