SPORTS SHORTS 91: MARK MAGSAYO VS. PABLO CRUZ SLATED FOR APRIL 10
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 29 Mar 2021
Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo wants to win impressively against Pablo Cruz in their non-title featherweight fight on April 10 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The undefeated fighter hopes a spectacular victory will enable him to come up with bigger fights in the future.
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International matchmaker Sean Gibbons told reporters in a virtual press conference that Magsayo (21-0, 14 KOs) has prepared thoroughly for his second fight under his new promotions Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
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Gibbons said that Mark Magsayo was lucky enough to obtain a visa. He was able to arrive in the United States by July with a split decision win over American Rigoberto Hermosillo in a non-title fight last October 3 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. He had a great fight which resurrected his career after a long layoff.
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Gibbons thanked the PBC and Al Haymon for reviving his career and keep it going. This is the fight that will elevate Mark into the next step, hoping for a world title either WBA or an IBF title-eliminator.
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The 25-year-old Magsayo said his trainer, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, told him to go for the knockout against the 34-year-old Cruz (21-3, 6 KOs).
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“We have almost the same record but I got the upper hand because I have no loss, he has three,” said Magsayo as quoted by ESPN. “He loves to move forward during fights so coach Freddie’s instruction is to knock him out.”
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Magsayo of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, said that he learned a lot from trainers Freddie Roach and Marvin Somodio. He will be inching closer to a world title shot with a magnificent win over Cruz who has won seven of his last eight bouts.
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"Cruz is one-dimensional,” said Gibbons over ESPN. “All he wants is to get in your face. Mark should be able to put him away in an action-packed war.”
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Magsayo said he’s now eight pounds over the limit and making weight would be very easy to shed with two weeks to go. He is considered as one of the hottest featherweight prospects right now. He hopes to fight for a world championship with a few convincing wins.
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Magsayo is currently the No. 7 ranked featherweight in The Ring rankings. He’s rated No. 3 by the World Boxing Organization, No. 5 by the International Boxing Federation, No. 6 by the World Boxing Council and No. 9 by the World Boxing Association.
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Cruz of Houston, Texas, was very active in the past year despite the pandemic. He fought three times in 2020. Cruz has not fought any big names, but twice defeated world title challenger William Gonzalez of Nicaragua. He’s latest fight was a unanimous decision over Jose Luis Graterol of Venezuela last January 30.
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Meanwhile, Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs) defends his IBF super flyweight against Mexican challenger Jonathan Javier Rodriguez (22-1, 16 KOs) in one of the featured fights. The main event features a 12-round fight between welterweight contenders Jaron Ennis and Sergey Lipinets.
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After castigating Avni Yildirim, Canelo Alvarez and his trainer, Eddy Reynoso, took little rest before they went back to work to prepare for what appears to be a much more difficult fight.
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Alvarez said last month he would take only one week off before going back to the gym to prepare for his super middleweight title unification fight against Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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The Saunders fight will happen just 10 weeks after he stopped Yildirim within three dominating rounds on February 27 at Hard Rock Stadium. That 12-round fight for Alvarez’s WBA and WBC championships and Saunders’ WBO belt also will be Canelo's third fight in less than five months.
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The Los Angeles Lakers will sign former Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond when he clears waivers, according to ESPN. He is averaging 13.8 rebounds per game in his career, which ranks eighth all time in NBA/ABA history and first among active players, per Basketball-Reference.
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He also has the best rebound percentage in the history of the NBA, grabbing 24.59% of all misses while he’s playing on the floor. He has been selected to five All-NBA teams and is a seven-time NBA All-Star.
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The news of LaMarcus Aldridge playing for the Brooklyn Nets didn’t get a good reaction from Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. The eldest son of King James seemed to have posted in Twitter a reaction to Aldridge going to Brooklyn, saying: “All this to stop a 36-year old man in Year 18.”
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After decades of turmoil in the post-Korean war, North and South Korea found a common ground for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, marching together in the Opening Ceremonies under a unified flag and uniforms. The two countries competed separately, but their joint marching symbolized an avenue for peace and unity.
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In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Michael Johnson won two gold medals while breaking two world records in those events. First was in the 400-meter race, where he run the track in 43.49 seconds.
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With only a few days rest in between runs, Johnson came back to take the gold in the 200-meter sprint, becoming the first athlete to win both races in the same Olympics.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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