Magsayo not rushing return
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 20 Aug 2022
It’s been over a month since Mark Magsayo lost the WBC featherweight title to Mexico’s Rey Vargas on a split 12-round decision at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and the man called Magnifico isn’t rushing a return to the ring, patiently studying options while staying in shape by running miles in Los Angeles.
Magsayo, 27, hasn’t checked in for work at the Wild Card Gym since breaking camp for the Vargas fight. He’s taking his time before reporting back, clearing his head, enjoying no-pressure moments with wife Frances and rebuilding mentally to get ready for a comeback. Yielding the crown on his first defense was a heartbreaker but it’s not the end of the world. Magsayo is determined to regain the belt and MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said he’s sure it will happen.
“No plans yet,” said Gibbons. “Mark and Frances will wait until October then they’ll decide what’s next for training and fighting. As far as I know, Mark hasn’t been to the gym since the fight to take some time off. He just runs.” For Magsayo, it’s as important to be mentally ready as being physically in top shape. When the time comes for Magsayo to re-lace up the gloves, he’ll be stronger than ever.
Boxing News writer Lewis Watson recently featured Magsayo in a four-page magazine profile and revealed a side of the fighter not widely known. “I wasn’t born to be a boxer but I was born to be a fighter,” said Magsayo, quoted by Watson. “My family had nothing. We survived on $5 a day from my parents working in the local bakery (in Tagbilaran). At the age of eight, I was forced to sell ice cream on the (Bohol) beaches while my friends were playing and having fun. It was tough but that was life. And it’s typical of a Filipino family growing up in poverty.”
Magsayo related how he was introduced to boxing in 2003. “I had no idea about boxing until my family and I visited the ALA gym in Bohol,” he said. “It was newly opened and they were showing the first fight between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera on TV. This memory is so special. Sen. Pacquiao was incredible that night and he alone inspired me to start boxing the next day. I was convinced that it was what I wanted to do.” Magsayo never imagined that nearly 20 years later, he would become a world champion.
Magsayo was favored to turn back Vargas, a former world superbantamweight titlist who had fought as a featherweight only once before against Leonardo Baez last year. “That bout came exactly two years after the Mexican courted controversy when traces of clenbuterol were found in his system and quickly written off by the WBC as a consequence of eating contaminated meat,” wrote Watson. Vargas executed a masterful plan that kept Magsayo at bay much of the fight. Magsayo scored a knockdown in the ninth but Vargas escaped tragedy by reverting to a stick-and-run routine that avoided any further dangerous engagement. Magsayo now knows the pain of losing a world title and it’s a hurt he won’t want to feel again.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Unified WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine Minimumweight World Champion Oscar "El Pupilo" Collazo Hosts Media Workout Ahead of March 14 Fight
Thu, 05 Mar 20262026 USA Boxing Men's Youth High Performance Team Announced
Thu, 05 Mar 20262026 USA Boxing Women’s Youth High Performance Team Announced
Thu, 05 Mar 2026Michael Linde rules Pangasinan chessfest
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 05 Mar 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 3 MARCH 2026: Navarrete Stops Nunez; Parra Jnr Outpoints Pierce; Wins by Emiliano Vargas and Abel Ramos
By Eric Armit, Wed, 04 Mar 2026Team Philippines Crowned Champions of the 2026 Predator WPA Teams World Championship
Wed, 04 Mar 2026IBA President Umar Kremlev calls for radical reform of the Olympic Movement and equal rights for athletes
Wed, 04 Mar 2026Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: Boxing—A Spectacle of Masses and Millennial Stages
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Tue, 03 Mar 2026Golden Boy Promotions Vs Virgil Ortiz Jr going to arbitration?
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Tue, 03 Mar 2026Boxlab Promotions Signs Undefeated Nicaraguan Knockout Artist Jordan “La Cobrita” Orozco
Tue, 03 Mar 2026STACKED MARCH 14 UNDERCARD SHOWCASES GOLDEN BOY’S NEXT GENERATION OF CHAMPIONS
Tue, 03 Mar 2026The Perfect Boxing Prospect 12-0 Marco Romero
Tue, 03 Mar 2026Quietly formidable boxers Kristian Prenga & Pyrce Taylor continue Their assault on the heavyweight division
Tue, 03 Mar 2026“Prince” Albert Pagara Flies to Perth for WBC Australasia Title Fight
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 02 Mar 2026Ryan Daye vows a dominant standout performance in WBC title Clash March 13 in Perth Thunderdome 53
Mon, 02 Mar 2026