Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo Fight Card, Odds & Predictions

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Mark Magsayo, right, of the Philippines, hits Julio Ceja, of Mexico, in a featherweight boxing match Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021.
(AP Photo/John Locher)
Anatoly Pimentel @AnatolyPimentel Feb 28, 2023, 7:12 PM
  • Brandon Figueroa is the favorite at -275.
  • Mark Magsayo is the underdog at +225.
  • The winner will be the WBC Interim World Featherweight Champion.

The Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, plays host to the WBC Interim World Featherweight Title showdown between Brandon Figueroa (23-1-1) and Mark Magsayo (24-1) this Saturday, March 4, 2023. Figueroa and Magsayo are ranked as the number one and number two contenders in the WBC Featherweight division.

Because of his incredible knockout power, Figueroa comes in as a considerable favorite in the boxing odds with -275, while Magsayo, the former WBC Featherweight Champion, bears the underdog tag in boxing betting lines at +225. The winner of the match will not only be crowned as the division’s interim champion but also have an outright shot against reigning champion Rey Vargas.

Brandon Figueroa Recent Fight Result

Brandon Figueroa started his pro boxing career in May 2015 and won unanimously over Hector Gutierrez. Since then, we went on a 17-fight winning streak, including 13 finishes. These 18 consecutive victories obtained Figueroa’s maiden title opportunity in April 2019 for the WBA Interim World Super Bantamweight Title against Yonfrez Parejo.

The “Heartbreaker” seized his first major title by stopping Parejo in the eighth round to capture the interim belt. Four months later, in August 2019, Figueroa fended off the challenge from Javier Nicolas Chacon with a fourth-round knockout finish to retain his WBA Interim Title.

Before 2019 ended, Figueroa fought Julio Ceja for the WBA World Super Bantamweight Title, but the fight ended in a split draw, and the Weslaco, Texas native’s dream of becoming a world champion was delayed. In September 2020, that dream was realized as Figueroa TKO’ed Damien Vazquez in the tenth round of their title clash.

After that championship triumph, Figueroa immediately added another title in May 2021 when he knocked out Luis Nery in the seventh round to claim the WBC World Super Bantamweight Title. This reign, though, was short-lived as the 26-year-old yielded the two titles to Stephen Fulton in a highly-contested majority decision verdict in November 2021.

That close defeat prompted Figueroa to move up and fight in the featherweight division. He was welcomed by Carlos Castro in July 2022, and he defeated him via a sixth-round TKO to prove that he still carries the same power that helped him become a super bantamweight champion. A win over Magsayo can automatically propel Figueroa to a title shot next.

Mark Magsayo Recent Fight Result

Mark Magsayo dominated the Philippine boxing scene in the first 11 bouts, where he finished nine of his opponents, and in the process, he was able to win the vacant IBF Youth Featherweight Title. Magsayo was able to defend the said title against Yardley Armenta Cruz in his debut in October 2015. After that lone defense, he returned to the Philippines and picked up more belts.

“Magnifico” defeated Eduardo Montoya and Chris Avalos to obtain the vacant WBO Youth Featherweight Title and WBO International Featherweight Title, thus extending his perfect record to 14. Magsayo defended the WBO International Title against Jose Olvera, Danial Diaz and Shota Hayashi, and beat Issa Nampepeche and Erick Deztroyer.

The boxer out of Bohol City capped off his Philippines and Asian reign with a unanimous decision triumph over Panya Uthok in August 2019 to add the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Featherweight Title. Following this fantastic start in his young career, Magsayo migrated to California to become a prized fighter.

In October 2020, Magsayo eked out a split decision win against Rigoberto before scoring back-to-back stoppages of Pablo Cruz (fourth-round TKO) in April 2021 and Julio Ceja (tenth-round TKO) in August 2021. The impressive victories earned the 27-year-old Filipino his first crack at a world title in January 2022.

Magsayo challenged Gary Russell Jr. for the WBC World Featherweight Title, and he pulled off a massive upset after a majority decision result that crowned him as the new champion. Unfortunately, he dropped his first title defense to Rey Vargas in his previous match with a close split decision. The hard-hitting Filipino hopes to get past Figueroa to earn a rematch with Vargas.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo: Tale of the Tape

Brandon FigueroaMark Magsayo
Age 26 27
Height 5'8"5'6"
Reach 72.5 inches68 inches
Record 23-1-124-1
Stance Orthodox Orthodox
TKO/KO percentage72%64%

Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo: Fight Analysis

The tale of the tape between Figueroa and Magsayo sees an advantage for the former as he is two-inch taller at 5-foot-8 with four-and-a-half longer reach at 72.5 inches against the latter, who stands at 5-foot-6 with 68 inches of reach. Both have already fought in 25 pro fights, and the Filipino has a slightly better record of 24 wins and one loss compared to the American’s 23 wins, one defeat and one draw.

Figueroa is one year younger than Magsayo and has a much higher TKO/KO rate of 72% in contrast to his opponent, who carries 64% of his own. Both are fighting in an orthodox stance. These excellent knockout percentages all point to an all-out brawl and battle of knockout power, which everyone will witness on fight night.

Stylistically, both boxers are great counterpunchers with the perfect timing to throw vicious punches that stun their opponents. But a huge difference between Figueroa and Magsayo is that the “Heartbreaker” likes to engage in close-distance exchanges, while “Magnifico” fancies a long-distance approach to execute his combinations.

The key for Figueroa in this bout is to cut off Magsayo in a corner and pour on his signature power punches from the pocket, while Magsayo’s path to victory is to keep his distance, move around the ring and maintain his distance opposite Figueroa to maximize the speed superiority against his American counterpart fully.

Speaking of speed, it will be the biggest factor in this interim title showdown because if the Filipino can keep finding his ideal distance to Figueredo despite giving up over four inches of reach, then he could take away the suitable fighting approach of the 26-year-old, thus frustrating him and eventually pick up the victory via stoppage.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo: Date and Start Time

March 4, 2023, 6:00 p.m. PST

March 4, 2023, 8:00 p.m. CST

March 4, 2023, 9:00 p.m. EST

Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo: Fight Prediction

Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Mark Magsayo.

See the entire Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo odds and wagers here.

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About the Author

Anatoly Pimentel

Read More @AnatolyPimentel

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.