Magsayo to get world title shot in January!
After years of knocking on the door for a major fight it now seems like talented Filipino Mark Magsayo (23-0, 16) has landed the big one, with the announcement yesterday that he would face WBC Featherweight champion Gary Allen Russell Jr (31-1, 18) on January 22nd.
The unbeaten Magsayo, a genuine yet frustrating talent, will be getting the bout as the WBC mandatory challenger, a position he assured himself back in August when he defeated Julio Ceja in one of the most dramatic fights of 2021. Sadly for Magsayo that left more questions than answers for him, and seemed very much like he wasn't ready for the best in the division, despite winning a world title eliminator.
Notably the win over Ceja was the third straight win in the US for Magsayo, who is now 5-0 in the States, and he will feel at home facing Russell in Atlantic City, where the bout is set to take place.
As for Russell Jr this is another mandatory defense for arguably the most frustrating champion in the sport today. The wonderfully gifted American is an elite level fighter who has wasted his talent with horrible stretches of inactivity, and by the time this fight comes around he'll have been inactive for close to 2 years. In fact his last bout was in February 2020, when he defeated Tugstsogt Nyamabayar in another mandatory defense.
Russell Jr has held the WBC title since stopping Jhonny Gonzalez in 2015, and despite a reign that goes back so long, he has only made 5 defenses of the belt. There is no denying his ability, but his commitment to the sport really is there to be doubted. Aged 33 he is no longer in his prime, and whilst we still feel he has what it takes to deal with Magsayo, it does seem likely that his career will always be a case of what "could have been?" Rather than "what was".
Interestingly on the same card as Russell Jr Vs Magsayo will be a match up at Featherweight between Tugstsogt Nyambayar (12-2, 9) and Vic Pasillas (16-1, 9), in what could be a very, very fan friendly match up.
The unbeaten Magsayo, a genuine yet frustrating talent, will be getting the bout as the WBC mandatory challenger, a position he assured himself back in August when he defeated Julio Ceja in one of the most dramatic fights of 2021. Sadly for Magsayo that left more questions than answers for him, and seemed very much like he wasn't ready for the best in the division, despite winning a world title eliminator.
Notably the win over Ceja was the third straight win in the US for Magsayo, who is now 5-0 in the States, and he will feel at home facing Russell in Atlantic City, where the bout is set to take place.
As for Russell Jr this is another mandatory defense for arguably the most frustrating champion in the sport today. The wonderfully gifted American is an elite level fighter who has wasted his talent with horrible stretches of inactivity, and by the time this fight comes around he'll have been inactive for close to 2 years. In fact his last bout was in February 2020, when he defeated Tugstsogt Nyamabayar in another mandatory defense.
Russell Jr has held the WBC title since stopping Jhonny Gonzalez in 2015, and despite a reign that goes back so long, he has only made 5 defenses of the belt. There is no denying his ability, but his commitment to the sport really is there to be doubted. Aged 33 he is no longer in his prime, and whilst we still feel he has what it takes to deal with Magsayo, it does seem likely that his career will always be a case of what "could have been?" Rather than "what was".
Interestingly on the same card as Russell Jr Vs Magsayo will be a match up at Featherweight between Tugstsogt Nyambayar (12-2, 9) and Vic Pasillas (16-1, 9), in what could be a very, very fan friendly match up.