Mark Magsayo has already realized a number of his dreams.
The featherweight contender met his idol and countryman Manny Pacquiao, which happened four years ago at the Senate of the Philippines. A few years later Pacquiao became his promoter. And he now trains with Freddie Roach, who helped guide the eight-division champion to greatness.
Now Magsayo has a chance to realize the dream of every young fighter: He faces long-reigning beltholder Gary Russell Jr. Saturday in Atlantic City (Showtime), his first world title shot.
“This is a big challenge for me,” Magsayo said. “I like the challenge every time I fight. It’s good that I’m going to face a great fighter, a great warrior. If I win, it’s going to change my life. My dream will come true.”
Magsayo (23-0, 16 KOs) has some of the natural gifts of Pacquiao, including quick feet and hands, as well the punching power the boxer-turned-politician had at the lower weights.
The challenger’s stoppage of Julio Ceja – the result of a monstrous straight right hand in the 10th round last August – was a 2021 Knockout of the Year candidate and an important step in his evolution.
The problem might be that he’s still evolving even though he had a substantial amateur background, as Roach learned when he started working with Magsayo before the October 2020 Hermosillo fight.
One example: Magsayo had not incorporated road work into his training regimen, which Roach quickly corrected. And by Magsayo’s own admission, he needed considerable work in general when he landed at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.
“I’ve learned a lot things about boxing [from Roach],” he said. “Before, I thought I really knew how boxing is but Freddie has taught me to box. He taught me footwork, moving in and out. He corrected my mistakes. I used to throw wild punches. Now my punches are more accurate.
“He’s taught me everything.”
And he might’ve learned his biggest lesson in the Ceja fight, in which he went down in Round 5 and was losing on all three cards after nine rounds. He made the mistake of fighting the aggressive Ceja on the inside and had lulls in his activity.
The good news for him is that he adjusted and won in spectacular fashion, which earned him a shot at Russell.
“Freddie told me, ‘Mark, you need to adjust,’” Magsayo said. “He said, ‘Don’t follow his toe-to-toe style. Box first, go in and out, hit and not get hit. That’s what changed the fight. I made the adjustment.
“Then, in the 10th round, I saw that his left eye was closing. I threw the right. And I won.”
Said Roach: “That [fight] was really good for him. He has more confidence now.”
But is he ready for Russell, a quick-handed, experienced former U.S. Olympian who will be making the sixth defense of his title?
Roach thinks so. He believes in his protégé, who has undeniable natural gifts and is improving, and he suspects that ring rust from Russell’s two-year hiatus from boxing could work in Magsayo’s favor.
And, yes, Magsayo is confident. He’s humble, even soft-spoken, but he revealed the cockiness of a fighter who likes his chances against one of the better champions in the world.
“He says he’s the fastest fighter in the world,” Magsayo said, referring to Russell. “He forgot that I’m here. I’m fast, too. He thinks I’m too slow for him. That’s good. He will be surprised.
“I’m just confident and ready to fight.”
