Victim of injustice
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 09 Mar 2023
MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons called it a joke and said the judging in the Mark Magsayo-Brandon Figueroa 12-round fight for the interim WBC featherweight title was ridiculous at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, last weekend. “It wasn’t a complete travesty of justice,” he said. “The fight was very, very close. Could’ve been 115-113 for Magsayo or 115-113 for Figueroa or a draw. Seven rounds for Mark, five for Figueroa or the other way around. The referee (Thomas Taylor) was horrible. I thought the score was whacked.”
Magsayo appeared to tire out in the late rounds, clearly a result of difficulty in making weight. At the weigh-in the day before, he was 3/4 over the 126-pound limit and took two hours to tip the scales on the dot. Magsayo was sharp at the start but lost steam as the fight became a war of attrition. In the eighth and 11th rounds, Taylor took a point off Magsayo for excessive holding. In the 10th, Magsayo went down twice but Taylor ruled both a slip. He could’ve been buying time to catch his breath.
The judges’ scorecards weren’t close and the two-point deductions didn’t make a difference as the margins were surprisingly wide. Zachary Young scored the last eight rounds for Figueroa and saw it 118-108 like Magsayo wasn’t even in contention. Gary Ritter and late replacement Fernando Villarreal had it 117-109, awarding eight of the last nine stanzas to Figueroa. Villarreal took Rudy Barragan’s place.
The scorecards didn’t reflect what the CompuBox stats showed. In the stats, Magsayo outlanded Figueroa in eight of the 12 rounds. In total punches, Magsayo connected 179 to Figueroa’s 176 and he also had the edge in jabs landed, 19-15. Figueroa had a hairline advantage in power shots delivered, 161-160. Figueroa beat Magsayo to the punch, 20-11 in the seventh and 20-13 in the 10th. But even as Magsayo slowed down in the homestretch, he still landed more punches, 11-10 in the 11th and 20-19 in the 12th. If the fight were that close, the judges didn’t think so.
Gibbons said making weight was a big problem for Magsayo. “Going from 128 to 126 was death,” he said. “Looks like Mark’s going up to 130 (superfeatherweight limit), The scorecards were totally absurd. Mark basically won the first half. The points deducted off Mark were weird especially the second. That ref should have worked Manny Pacquiao against Floyd Mayweather. Floyd would’ve been disqualified by the way Taylor refs a fight.”
Mexican boxing writer Hector Isla said the unanimous decision for Figueroa was “incomprehensible.” He noted, “Magsayo had to go against the current (but) it was a balanced battle … if Magsayo lacked a bit of physical condition because he looked exhausted, despite everything, he had the air to finish with a beating drum … Brandon behaved bravely to withstand the best shots from the Filipino and threw all his artillery to hurt his opponent and ended up bleeding from his right eyelid.”
Figueroa will advance to challenge WBC featherweight ruler Rey Vargas while Magsayo has to rethink his plans for the future. If he moves up in weight, it’ll be a new battlefield to wage war. If he stays in the featherweight division, Magsayo must pick up a win or two over a contender and groom himself to face either Vargas or Figueroa again. The only losses in Magsayo’s career were to both fighters.
Photo: MP Promotions' Sean Gibbons (C-back against the camera) talks to Referee Thomas Taylor (R) after the Figueroa-Magsayo fight has ended.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
VIC SALUDAR FINISHES OFF SANCHAI YOTBOON IN 30 SECONDS (VIDEO)
By Dong Secuya, Thu, 02 May 2024Bryce Mills Returns to the Ring June 7 During 2024 International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend
Thu, 02 May 2024Saludar KOs Thai foe in 37 seconds; Dumam-ag drops Macado three times en route to a 1st round stoppage
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 01 May 2024REGIE SUGANOB DEFENDS WBO GLOBAL LIGHT FLYWEIGHT TITLE BY TKO OVER KAI ISHIZAWA
By Maloney L. Samaco, Wed, 01 May 2024West Top Three Seeds Have Advanced to Next Round, None Yet From East as Sixers, Bucks Beat NY, Indiana
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 01 May 2024Muhsin Cason Remains Undefeated with Stunning First Round Knockout
Wed, 01 May 2024Pinoys who shone in UK rings
By Joaquin Henson, Wed, 01 May 2024Undefeated Brooklyn Heavyweight Prospect Pryce Taylor looking forward to fighting in Atlantic City on May 11th
Wed, 01 May 2024Panamanian Harmodio Cedeño honored for over 60 years in boxing world
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 01 May 2024Boxing Powerhouse Top Rank Launches 24/7 Channel Top Rank Classics on Pluto TV
Wed, 01 May 2024The Past Week in Action 29 April 2024: Ramirez Outpoints Barthelemy; Ortiz Stops Dulorme in 1; Alaniz Defeats Esparza to win WBA/WBC/WBO Titles
By Eric Armit, Tue, 30 Apr 2024Saludar ready to fight Yotboon
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 30 Apr 2024White Heat: Boston Whips Miami; Denver, OKC Thunder End Series
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 30 Apr 2024Hopefuls Above 122 Lbs.; Elephant in the Room
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 30 Apr 2024PAUL vs TYSON will be sanctioned as a regular professional fight in Texas
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Tue, 30 Apr 2024