We saw the best featherweight boxer in the world this past weekend when Mauricio Lara took care of business in his bout with Leigh Wood. Lara earned a seventh round TKO win over Wood in order to win the WBA featherweight title, and ESPN is now trumpeting him as the best boxer in his class. Now, everyone is gunning for Lara, including Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo. Figueroa (23-1-1 with 18 knockouts) and Magsayo (24-1 with 16 knockouts) will square off for the interim WBC featherweight belt on the first weekend of March, and the winner will at least sniff the possibility of a fight with Lara.
After losing a disappointing split decision to Rey Vargas last July, Mark Magsayo is no longer unbeaten. Still, he will take part in his third straight title fight on Saturday, March 4, 2023, when he faces Brandon Figueroa. Magsayo is a sizeable underdog per the boxing betting odds, and he will look to prove the oddsmakers wrong. These two will headline a ShowTime card that starts at 9 p.m. ET from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, just outside of Los Angeles.
When: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Where: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Why: WBC interim featherweight championship
Brandon Figueroa vs Mark Magsayo Betting Odds
Brandon Figueroa -280
Mark Magsayo +214
Both of these fighters have just one loss entering this showdown, but the oddsmakers believe that Brandon Figueroa should be a decent favorite per the boxing betting line. If you have yet to bet on boxing, a $280 bet on Figueroa would win $100 if he were to emerge victorious. Meanwhile, a $100 bet on Magsayo would return a $214 profit if his hand were raised at the end of the night.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Brandon Figueroa vs Mark Magsayo Preview
It’s safe to say that boxing is in the Figueroa family genes as Brandon Figueroa’s older brother Omar Figueroa is a former world champion too. Omar Figueroa was the WBC lightweight champion for over a year in the middle of the last decade, but an epic clash with Nihito Arakawa shortened both of their careers.
The younger Figueroa quickly rose through the ranks of the bantamweight division. He was 18-0 when he received his first major title opportunity in April 2019, and Figueroa retired Yonfrez Parejo in the eighth round to claim the interim WBA super bantamweight title. Figueroa successfully defended that title against Javier Nicolas Chacon, Julio Ceja, Damien Vazquez, and Luis Nery. He added the WBC super bantamweight belt with the win over Nery, and he knocked out every opponent he faced saved Ceja.
Unfortunately, Figueroa was unable to beat Stephen Fulton with the WBO super bantamweight belt on the line. He lost a majority decision to Fulton, and that led to Figueroa deciding to move up to featherweight.
Mark Magsayo has been a featherweight for his entire professional career. He won the IBF Youth featherweight belt in July 2015, and he won a few other minor titles like the WBO Youth featherweight championship and the WBO International featherweight title too. His success saw him move to 23-0, and he earned a title shot against Gary Russell Jr. at that point.
Magsayo won a majority decision against Russell last January, claiming his first major title in the process. Unfortunately, his title reign was short lived as he fell in a split decision to Rey Vargas in July. Vargas outlanded Magsayo in the bout, and not even a ninth-round knockdown was enough to tip the scales in favor of the champion.
There is another big edge that Figueroa has in this fight. He is an inch-and-a-half taller than Magsayo, and his reach is a full five inches longer.
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