Magsayo Up Against Pinoy Boxers Historical Poor Early Year Start
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 21 Jan 2022
Russell (L) and Magsayo face off during Thursday presscon in New Jersey.
Historically, it has been rare for a Filipino fighter to be fighting for a world boxing championship this very early in the new year.
Hence, Mark Magsayo should consider himself very lucky to be battling WBC world featherweight champion American Gary Russell Jr for the latter's crown this Saturday night, January 22 (Sunday morning, January 23 in Manila) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
But Magsayo is up against a very capable opponent in Russell who despite his notoriously poor fight frequency has only been beaten in the ring once, years ago losing on points to the then surging Vasil Lomachenko, accidentally in the same weight division he will be fighting the still unbeaten Mark Magsayo.
Apart from the formidable Russell, Magsayo will be up against the Filipino fighters historical poor performance in the month of January talking of world title or major international fights held in the same period.
Since the pre-war, about a dozen Filipino fighters had figured in world title or at least major, fights a few coming just days off the Philippines longest holiday festivities, Christmas and New Year.
But only a handful came out victorious including a trio of southpaw super featherweights namely Manny Pacquiao, Rolando Navarette and Ben Villaflor who all won their fights by knockout.
Pacquiao got sweet revenge against nemesis Erik Morales who outpointed him the previous March 2005 by knocking him out on January 21, 2006 in Las Vegas. Navarette defended his then WBC world super featherweight title by come from behind knockout win over nail-tough South Korean challenger Choi Chung Il before overflowing home crowd at the Rizal Memorial Colesium on January 16, 1982. Villaflor made among the last few successful defense of his WBA world super featherweight crown by knockout over another Japanese challenger Morito Kashiwaba in Japan on January 12, 1976.
Among the prominent title/ major fights January losers though included Gabriel Flash Elorde, Small Montana, Leo Espinosa, Rene Barrientos, Brian Viloria, Gerry Penalosa, Rocky Fuentes who mostly, except for Viloria, suffered their defeats abroad against mostly more favored or fancied opponents.
Elorde fell by late round TKO to then world featherweight king Sandy Saddler in his first world title attempt in the early 50s in San Francisco, USA in the dirtiest, worst officiated fight of the time. Small Montana was outpointed by UK's great Benny Lynch in what amounted as the undisputed world flyweight championship in the 30s in Belfast, Espinosa lost on points to Argentine great Pascual Perez in Buenos Aires in the 50s. Barrientos attempted to bring back the world junior lightweight crown Elorde lost in 1967 but he was denied by Yoshiaki Numata and two of the judges in Tokyo in 1968.
The saddest January world title defeat suffered by a Filipino has to be that of Brian Viloria who had to surrender on his stool out of sheer exhaustion against Carlos Tamara on January 23, 2010 in Metro Manila, losing his IBF flyweight belt.
Gerry Peñalosa was again frustrated in his bid to reclaim his WBC super flyweight crown losing another close, controversial decision to nemesis In Joo Cho in South Korea on January 2, 2000. Meanwhile Rocky Fuentes was outhustled by Amnat Ruenroeng for the vacant IBF flyweight title in Thailand on January 22, 2014.
Whatever it is, slow start or the preference to save the best for last or later in the year, Pinoy fighters do not fare well given very early breaks.
Best of luck, therefore Mark Magsayo!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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