Mark Magsayo eyes Lamont Roach, hopes to challenge for WBA title this year

After scoring his first significant win in the junior lightweight division, Mark Magsayo is looking to the future at 130 kilograms. He hopes the future includes the WBA junior lightweight title.

The 28-year-old from Tagbilaran City, Philippines got the job done last Saturday, defeating former heavyweight champion Eduardo Ramirez by unanimous decision on the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin undercard in Las Vegas. It wasn't Magsayo's first fight at 130 pounds last December, when he knocked out trial horse Isaac Avelar with a single hook. On this night, Magsayo flashed his power with a knockdown in the third round before advancing with a comfortable points win.

Still, there was a lot to take away from the ten-round performance.

“Everybody is waiting to be beaten because of Avelar's fight. But it all depends on the situation, too. I listen to my coach. We want to show that I can win rounds without a KO and I can lose rounds after a KO. A lot of people don't know that Ramirez sneaks around and is a veteran,” said Magsayo (26-2, 17 knockouts) a few days after the fight.

“As always I want to improve and improve. I'm never satisfied and I'm going back to the gym this week.”

Trainer Marvin Somodio is pleased with the way his fighter has looked at the new weight, showing the toughness and striking power that has carried him through his last two fights at featherweight, where he struggled to reach 126-pounds after a decade of fighting in that division. . He says they were cautious about Magsayo's opponent, and were content to get a win while avoiding disaster.

“We have a saying, you must not fix what is not broken. He was winning every round. If we try to box and play safely, we can easily win because we win every round,” said Somodio.

Now Magayo hopes to put himself in a good position to get another title shot, with WBA junior lightweight champion Lamont Roach his preferred target. Roach (24-1-1, 9 KOs) of Upper Marlboro, Md. won the title in November, defeating Hector Luis Garcia by split decision. Roach will defend his belt for the first time on June 28, when he faces undefeated Irishman Feargal McCrory (16-0, 8 KOs) in Washington DC.

Magsayo was the no. 6 in the latest WBA rankings, but promoter Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions hopes Magsayo's WBA Inter-Continental title in the Ramirez fight will boost his ranking to no. 2 when the next levels come out.

“It will be a very interesting fight,” said Magsayo, who previously held the WBC featherweight title. “I'm happy about that. He is a great champion. Let's check that if he defends the belt from me.”

“Next up hopefully is the WBA world title,” added Gibbons. The worst thing is that we do the eliminator but we will definitely capture the world title later in the year.”

Roach, who has won five straight since his lone loss, a 2019 points loss to Jamel Herring for the WBO junior lightweight title, is rated no. 4 by The Ring, while Magsayo has yet to enter The Ring's ratings at 130 pounds.

Speaking to The Ring, Roach says that he has never considered a fight with Magsayo, but added that it is a fight that he would consider if unification conflicts do not happen.

“I never thought about it but I think it will be good. I wouldn't really be like I want to fight Mark, and I understand why he says he wants to fight me because I have the title but my goal is to unify. “If it doesn't happen and that fight is available and has a lot of money, I would definitely take that fight because he's a tough opponent,” said Roach.

Meanwhile, Somodio insists that his fighter is ready for the challenge.

“Even before this fight, he was ready for him. “I know Lamont Roach is a good boxer but I think Mark is a different animal,” said Somodio.

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at [email protected].