LAS VEGAS —
Mark Magsayo remained in contention for a title shot and extended his winning streak Saturday on the undercard of the Philippines’ most famous fighter.
The junior lightweight contender steadily landed right hands and outworked Mexican veteran Jorge Mata to win their 10-round, 130-pound bout by unanimous decision on the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios undercard at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Judges Mike Fitzgerald (100-90) and Jack Reiss (100-90) scored it a shutout for Magsayo, a former WBC featherweight champion who won eight rounds on Glenn Feldman’s card (98-92).
Neither Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) nor Mata (21-3-2, 13 KOs) landed a punch that hurt the other in their mostly unremarkable bout.
Magsayo, 30, won his fourth straight fight since
Brandon Figueroa defeated him by unanimous decision in their WBC interim featherweight title bout in March 2023. Mata, 24, often stood and traded with Magsayo, but he wasn’t active or accurate enough and his five-fight winning streak came to an end.
Magsayo and Mata traded right hands in exchanges during the first half of a spirited 10th round. Magsayo showboated in the final minute, which pleased the Filipino fans who were in their seats early.
Mata nailed Magsayo with a right hand toward the end of the ninth round. Magsayo responded with a hard right of his own, which made Mata shake his head to indicate he wasn’t hurt.
Mata came forward during a competitive eighth round, but Magsayo connected with right hands as they worked on the inside.
Magsayo remained in control during the seventh, when he landed a couple hard rights to Mata’s body. Mata continued to take his power well, however, and was strong enough to keep Magsayo from opening up without concern about what was thrown back at him.
A right by Magsayo backed up Mata about 25 seconds into the sixth round, but Mata came back to make that round competitive.
Mata’s right uppercut caught Magsayo as they trade punches barely 20 seconds into the fifth. An aggressive Magsayo was more active and landed several hard right hands to close out. One of those right hands knocked Mata off balance a couple seconds before the end.
The crowd roared as Magsayo backed Mata into the ropes and unloaded hard punches on him about a minute into the fourth. Magsayo’s right hand snapped Mata’s head back just after the halfway point.
The first two rounds between Magsayo and Mata were tactical, though the former landed the more impactful punches.
- Another Filipino fighter, Eumir Marcial, knocked out Bernard Joseph in the third round of a bout before Magsayo’s victory. Marcial (6-0, 4 KOs), a strong super middleweight from Zamboanga City, Philippines, dropped Joseph once in the second and again in the third. Referee Allen Huggins officially stopped their scheduled eight-rounder at 1:55. Joseph (11-3-1, 5 KOs), of Dorchester, Massachusetts, lost inside the distance for the second time as a pro.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing