SPORTS SHORTS 226: MARK MAGSAYO IS ORDERED MANDATORY CHALLENGER TO GARY RUSSEL BY THE WBC
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 25 Sep 2021
Mark Magsayo's dream finally comes true as he is tapped by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as mandatory challenger to the WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. This after a very impressive 10th-round annihilation of former champion Julio Ceja in the Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas undercard on August 21.
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The WBC, one of four major sanctioning bodies for professional boxing, made the notification on Tuesday. The announcement includes the mandatory WBC bantamweight title defense by Nonito Donaire against countryman Reymart Gaballo, the interim champion.
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“I want the WBC title, of course,” Magsayo was quoted by Boxing Scene. “If Gary Russell’s not moving up, I want to fight him. If I have an opportunity to fight Gary Russell, then my dream fight would come true.”
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Magsayo (23-0, 16 KOs) lashed out Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) for picking a fight only once a year. The American has defended his title for only five times since winning it by a fourth-round stoppage of Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez on March 28, 2015 at the Pearl Concert Theater, Paradise, Nevada.
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“Because he fights once a year,” Magsayo said laughing. “That’s why he has held the title the longest.”
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On May 20, 2017, Russel defended it against Colombian Óscar Escandón by 7th round TKO (at the MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland.
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On May 19, 2018 he defeated American Joseph Diaz by unanimous decision at the MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland.
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On May 18, 2019 he stopped Spain's Kiko Martínez by 5th round TKO at the Barclays Center, New York City.
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On February 8, 2020 he won by unanimous decision over Mongolian Tugstsogt Nyambayar at the PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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"Magnifico" Magsayo exhibited magnificent courage and toughness when he knocked out the Mexican combatant Julio Ceja in the 10th round of their WBC title eliminator after recovering from a fifth round knockdown.
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Russell's only loss was dealt by Ukraine's Vasyl Lomachenko by majority decision on June 21, 2014 at the StubHub Center, Carson, California for the vacant WBO featherweight title.
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Gary Russell Jr. age 33 years, was born in Washington, D.C. He has 32 wins, 1 loss, and 18 wins by KO. The southpaw has fought 160 rounds with a KO rate of 56.25%.
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As an amateur, Russell won the bantamweight bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Mianyang, China. He was defeated by eventual silver medalist Rustamhodza Rahimov of Germany in the semifinals. The gold medal was won by Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba.
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Magsayo won over American Rigoberto Hermosillo by split decision on October 4, 2020 at the Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California. Then he stopped American Pablo Cruz by 4th round TKO on April 10, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut.
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In the 119 rounds he fought, he had a KO rate of 69.57%. The Tagbilaran, Bohol native is age 26-years and is an orthodox fighter.
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Jordan Clarkson has a combined 1.95 million followers on Instagram and Twitter, has played for the seventh-most valuable team in sports which is the Los Angeles Lakers and won Sixth Man of the Year award as a member of the NBA's best regular-season team Utah Jazz last year.
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But still, the 29-year-old guard went unrecognized in his home city when Hayley Crombleholme, a reporter of KUTV in Salt Lake City, when she interviewed people in the street about the Jazz's upcoming season per CBS Sports. She happened to interview none other than Clarkson, who played the last two seasons as Utah's reserve.
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"So, did you go to any Jazz games?" Crombleholme asked Clarkson who was expressionless and replied, "Yeah, a lot."
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Clarkson scored a career-high 18.4 points per game and equaled his career-highs with 4.0 rebounds and 0.9 steals. He also shot 34.7 percent from the three-point area with a roaring 8.8 attempts per game, the fifth-highest in the NBA.
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It was even more embarrassing for Crombleholme, because she asked Clarkson to spell his first and last name before the interview and still she did not recognize him.
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Clarkson, who also played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, posted his support to Crombleholme as the bungled interview went viral, writing "haha Lets GO JAZZ! Cant wait to get started!!!" in response to her initial Tweet, "Had him spell his name and everything. I’m only mildly (okay highly) embarrass."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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