Magsayo awaits new foe
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 16 Sep 2020
Magsayo (L) with trainer Freddie Roach.
IBF No. 4 featherweight Mark Magsayo will face a still unidentified opponent at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 3 but couldn’t care less whom he battles after original foe Jose Haro backed out a few days ago. He continues to train with Freddie Roach and strength/conditioning coach Justin Fortune, staying focused in the gym since landing in L. A. from Manila last July.
Haro’s withdrawal came as a surprise, what with the fight set less than three weeks away. He released a six-minute video on his Facebook page, reading a three-page essay to explain his decision. Haro, 33, said he’s hanging up his gloves after three of his six children begged him to retire from the ring. In the video, he disclosed that he tested positive for COVID-19 about two months back but has been cleared by doctors to return to the gym.
Haro said it all started with a mild cold and his wife Yesenia Bautista suggested to take a COVID-19 test. After the result turned out positive, Haro was told his sparring partner was also infected. Haro kept his condition secret. Although now virus-free, Haro said he’s still feeling a bit under the weather with a headache and stuffy nose. Haro’s wife, a nurse, is expecting to deliver their seventh child, a girl, in November and the fighter said “I’m happy I’m leaving (boxing) with good health to enjoy life with my family.” He said “it breaks my heart having to say this, I’ll never fight again.” The appointment with Magsayo was initially scheduled on Sept. 23 and when it was reset to Oct. 3, Haro took the postponement as a sign to walk away.
MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said Haro should never have agreed to fight Magsayo. Or he should’ve backed out when he tested positive so Gibbons would’ve had over two months to look for a replacement. “I’m looking frantically for another opponent,” Gibbons said yesterday. Magsayo, however, is unperturbed. “Okay lang sa akin, kahit sino kalaban,” he messaged from L. A. “Tuloy pa rin ang training.” Magsayo said he has sparred over 50 rounds since arriving in the US and is doing up to eight rounds a session, working with a rotation of four fighters including Armenian superbantamweight Azat Hovhannisyan. He also sparred with former WBC superlightweight champion Viktor Postol before the Ukrainian fought Jose Carlos Ramirez last month. Magsayo said Roach recently added a Mexican, whom he described as bigger than him, in the sparring rotation.
The coming bout will be Magsayo’s first since joining the MP stable this year. Gibbons recently revealed that he could’ve arranged for Magsayo to fight for the world title on Sept. 19 but hedged to give the Tacloban slugger a chance to prove himself in a tune-up. The ultimate goal is for Magsayo, 25, to challenge WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell, Jr. who’s tied up with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions stable. Magsayo’s record is 20-0, with 14 KOs while Russell’s mark is 31-1, with 18 KOs. Russell, 32, won the WBC 126-pound crown in 2015 and has since compiled five successful defenses.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
IBA Bare-Knuckle Director attends historic Gambian Elite National Championships
Sun, 19 Apr 2026Rosales stops Obedencio in RFL 4
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 19 Apr 2026Atty. Aldwin Alegre shines in 23rd Bangkok Chess Club
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 19 Apr 2026Suslenkov knocks out Mann to headline explosive IBA Pro 16 night in Serpukhov
Sat, 18 Apr 2026AJ Manas off to a hot start in Indonesia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Camila Zamorano WBC female champion health update
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sat, 18 Apr 2026PH Athletics team shines in the 2026 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE RODRIGUEZ CHALLENGES ANTONIO VARGAS FOR WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN GLENDALE ON JUNE 13
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND PHOTOS FROM SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS - TOMORROW, APRIL 18 AT FRONTWAVE ARENA IN OCEANSIDE, CALIF.
Sat, 18 Apr 2026OFFICIAL ‘REVOLUTION’ WEIGHTS FROM CORK, IRELAND
Sat, 18 Apr 2026MIKHAIL GRIGORYAN DEFEATS JEO SANTISIMA, CROWNED NEW IBF ASIA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IN SERPUKHOV
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Ra’eese Aleem Vows Victory Over Angelo Leo Ahead of May 9th IBF Title Fight in Atlanta
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WCM Nika Juris Nicolas 10th in Serbia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ PENS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH EDDIE HEARN AND MATCHROOM
Sat, 18 Apr 2026Hermie Rivera: A Fil-Am Original
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Fri, 17 Apr 2026