Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Photos: Rey Vargas’ title-winning decision over Mark Magsayo.
Rey Vargas defeated Mark Magsayo by a split decision to take the Filipino’s WBC 126-pound title on Saturday in San Antonio.
Also on the card, 126-pound contender Brandon Figueroa stopped Carlos Castro in the sixth round of a title eliminator. And 135-pound contender Frank Martin knocked out Jackson Marinez in the 10th and final round.
Here are images from the card. All photos by Ryan Hafey of Premier Boxing Champions.
Brandon Figueroa stopped Carlos Castro in the sixth round of a scheduled 12-round featherweight bout on Saturday in San Antonio.
Brandon Figueroa steamrolled another opponent.
The former 122-pounder, making his debut at 126, put Carlos Castro down in Round 3 and stopped him in Round 6 of a scheduled 12-round bout on the Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas card Saturday in San Antonio.
Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) had said before the fight that he would box more than he has in past fights. That lasted about a round and a half, after which he reverted to the pressure fighter he has been throughout his career.
And that wasn’t good news for the clever Castro, who beat Figueroa to the punch and used his feet to avoid serious trouble much of the fight.
Figueroa put Castro (27-2, 12 KOs) down in the third round as a result of several hard shots and followed with a crazy barrage of 50, 60 unanswered punches.
Castro not only survived the onslaught, he went back to boxing well in Rounds 3 and 4.
The end came in an instant. Castro uncharacteristically had Figueroa pinned against the ropes when Figueroa spun his opponent and unloaded a vicious series of hard, accurate shots.
Referee Mark Nelson evidently determined that Castro could no longer defend himself and stopped the fight. The official time was 2:11.
The fight was billed as a WBC featherweight title eliminator, which means Figueroa is first in line to fight the winner of the Magsayo-Vargas main event at the Alamodome.
Figueroa was coming off his first loss, a disputed decision against Stephen Fulton in November that cost him his 122-pound title.
Brandon Figueroa stopped Carlos Castro in the sixth round of a scheduled 12-round featherweight bout on Saturday in San Antonio.
Brandon Figueroa steamrolled another opponent.
The former 122-pounder, making his debut at 126, put Carlos Castro down in Round 3 and stopped him in Round 6 of a scheduled 12-round bout on the Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas card Saturday in San Antonio.
Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) had said before the fight that he would box more than he has in past fights. That lasted about a round and a half, after which he reverted to the pressure fighter he has been throughout his career.
And that wasn’t good news for the clever Castro, who beat Figueroa to the punch and used his feet to avoid serious trouble much of the fight.
Figueroa put Castro (27-2, 12 KOs) down in the third round as a result of several hard shots and followed with a crazy barrage of 50, 60 unanswered punches.
Castro not only survived the onslaught, he went back to boxing well in Rounds 3 and 4.
The end came in an instant. Castro uncharacteristically had Figueroa pinned against the ropes when Figueroa spun his opponent and unloaded a vicious series of hard, accurate shots.
Referee Mark Nelson evidently determined that Castro could no longer defend himself and stopped the fight. The official time was 2:11.
The fight was billed as a WBC featherweight title eliminator, which means Figueroa is first in line to fight the winner of the Magsayo-Vargas main event at the Alamodome.
Figueroa was coming off his first loss, a disputed decision against Stephen Fulton in November that cost him his 122-pound title.
Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas: live updates and results, full coverage.
Mark Magsayo, a 126-pound titleholder, will make his first defense against Rey Vargas this evening (Saturday) at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Showtime.
The Filipino won his belt by outpointing Gary Russell Jr. in January.
In the co-feature, former 122-pound champ Brandon Figueroa is scheduled to face Carlos Castro in a 12-round fight at 126. Also, 140-pound contender Frank Martin faces Jackson Marinez, and 147-prospect Rashidi Ellis takes on Jose Marrufo.
The streamed portion of the card begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of all the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
[lawrence-related id=31383,31344,31235,31228,31221]
Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas: live updates and results, full coverage.
Mark Magsayo, a 126-pound titleholder, will make his first defense against Rey Vargas this evening (Saturday) at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Showtime.
The Filipino won his belt by outpointing Gary Russell Jr. in January.
In the co-feature, former 122-pound champ Brandon Figueroa is scheduled to face Carlos Castro in a 12-round fight at 126. Also, 140-pound contender Frank Martin faces Jackson Marinez, and 147-prospect Rashidi Ellis takes on Jose Marrufo.
The streamed portion of the card begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of all the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
[lawrence-related id=31383,31344,31235,31228,31221]
Photos: Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas weigh-in.
WBC featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo and challenger Rey Vargas made weight for their fight Saturday in San Antonio (Showtime).
Both men weighed 125.5 pounds, .5 below the division limit.
Here are the weights for the other featured bouts:
Here are images from the weigh-in. All photos by Esther Lin of Showtime.
Brandon Figueroa said he expects to be a better fighter after moving up to 126 pounds.
Brandon Figueroa says you’ll see a stronger, more versatile fighter when he faces Carlos Castro on the Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas card July 9 in San Antonio (Showtime).
Figueroa, a bruising pressure fighter, gave Stephen Fulton hell in a 122-pound title-unification bout but ended up on the wrong end of a close, arguably controversial decision in November. That’s one reason he wants to bring more into the ring at The Alamodome.
“I looked for the guy (Fulton) for 12 rounds, put pressure on him, and it still didn’t mean anything,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I need to be a little smarter, more patient. I love to brawl, love to get in and mix it up, to work the body.
“I just definitely have to consider everything, a little bit of defense, a little bit of speed, a little bit of boxing, a little bit of brawling. I guess that’ll be my next style.”
Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) also has a new weight. His fight with Castro (27-1, 12 KOs) is a WBC 126-pound title eliminator, meaning the victor becomes a candidate to face the title fight between the champion Magsayo and Vargas.
One advantage the 5-foot-9 Figueroa seemed to have over his opponents at 122 was natural size and strength. Could he lose that edge at 126?
The 25-year-old Texan is certain that he won’t. If anything, he said, he’ll be stronger because he’ll be fighting at a more natural weight for his growing body.
The move up in weight has been in the works for more than a year.
“We were talking about moving up to 126 before the [Luis] Nery fight [in May of last year], way before him,” said Figueroa, who stopped Nery to win his title. “Squeezing into 122 put a lot of strain on my body, a lot of stress, even though I made weight. I’m very disciplined when it comes to dieting and making weight but it was getting hard.
“I’m happy now letting my body grow to its maximum potential. … I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I feel strong, explosive. I feel amazing. I just can’t wait to get in there and make a statement.”
Castro is no pushover. He gave Nery a tougher-than-expected time in a split-decision loss in February.
Figueroa is favored to win, however. If he does, he’ll push hard for a shot at whomever has his hand raised in the Magsayo-Vargas fight.
He lost his title in a fight he believes he did enough to win. He wants to be a champion again.
“That’s the plan,” he said. “The plan always is to fight the best. I was ready [to fight for a title] as soon as I got to 126. I just want another belt around my waist. I know doing so will be great for my legacy, being able to do it again at 126.”
[lawrence-related id=26337]
Brandon Figueroa said he expects to be a better fighter after moving up to 126 pounds.
Brandon Figueroa says you’ll see a stronger, more versatile fighter when he faces Carlos Castro on the Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas card July 9 in San Antonio (Showtime).
Figueroa, a bruising pressure fighter, gave Stephen Fulton hell in a 122-pound title-unification bout but ended up on the wrong end of a close, arguably controversial decision in November. That’s one reason he wants to bring more into the ring at The Alamodome.
“I looked for the guy (Fulton) for 12 rounds, put pressure on him, and it still didn’t mean anything,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I need to be a little smarter, more patient. I love to brawl, love to get in and mix it up, to work the body.
“I just definitely have to consider everything, a little bit of defense, a little bit of speed, a little bit of boxing, a little bit of brawling. I guess that’ll be my next style.”
Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) also has a new weight. His fight with Castro (27-1, 12 KOs) is a WBC 126-pound title eliminator, meaning the victor becomes a candidate to face the title fight between the champion Magsayo and Vargas.
One advantage the 5-foot-9 Figueroa seemed to have over his opponents at 122 was natural size and strength. Could he lose that edge at 126?
The 25-year-old Texan is certain that he won’t. If anything, he said, he’ll be stronger because he’ll be fighting at a more natural weight for his growing body.
The move up in weight has been in the works for more than a year.
“We were talking about moving up to 126 before the [Luis] Nery fight [in May of last year], way before him,” said Figueroa, who stopped Nery to win his title. “Squeezing into 122 put a lot of strain on my body, a lot of stress, even though I made weight. I’m very disciplined when it comes to dieting and making weight but it was getting hard.
“I’m happy now letting my body grow to its maximum potential. … I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I feel strong, explosive. I feel amazing. I just can’t wait to get in there and make a statement.”
Castro is no pushover. He gave Nery a tougher-than-expected time in a split-decision loss in February.
Figueroa is favored to win, however. If he does, he’ll push hard for a shot at whomever has his hand raised in the Magsayo-Vargas fight.
He lost his title in a fight he believes he did enough to win. He wants to be a champion again.
“That’s the plan,” he said. “The plan always is to fight the best. I was ready [to fight for a title] as soon as I got to 126. I just want another belt around my waist. I know doing so will be great for my legacy, being able to do it again at 126.”
[lawrence-related id=26337]
Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true.
GOOD
Dreams can come true no matter where you live in the world.
George Kambosos, a former rugby player from Australia, imagined becoming a world boxing champion from an early. He had natural gifts and grit, he put in the work over many years and he developed an unwavering belief in himself.
All that paid off on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he upset Teofimo Lopez by a split decision to become undisputed lightweight champion.
And it was no fluke. Kambosos insisted repeatedly that he was better than Lopez and he proved it. He outboxed the conqueror of Vasiliy Lomchenko, he outworked him and he took everything Lopez threw at him.
Yes, he went down in Round 10, but that only gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his mettle under difficult circumstances, as he had strong rounds in 11 and 12.
Kambosos lost some rounds but the decision wasn’t controversial, no matter what Lopez said afterward. One judge had it 114-113 for Lopez but the other two scored it for Kambosos, 115-111 and 115-112. Each of the latter two gave the winner eight of the 12 rounds.
Dominating? No. Convincing? Yes.
And you should remember something about fighters from remote outposts: They must travel the world and fight in hostile territories to achieve their goals, as Kambosos did when he outpointed Mickey Bey at The Garden, Lee Selby in London and now Lopez.
That adds a layer of difficulty and makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.
Kambosos is now the undisputed 135-pound champion, assuming you don’t buy into the WBC’s confusing “franchise champion” designation. I don’t know whether he’s the best Australian boxer of all time – Jeff Fenech might have something to say about that, for example – but he did make history.
Nothing will ever be the same for him.
BAD
Thank you all for the love and support tonight. I’m grateful for you all and I know God has his plans set for me. They can punch me high, kick me low. It’s going to take more than that to break my soul! God bless everyone and Happy Holidays. See you all back in the ring in 2022🤍 pic.twitter.com/Oe5CtG7K3x
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) November 28, 2021
Lopez is young, only 24. He’ll learn from this experience.
The Brooklynite became an instantaneous star when he upset pound-for-pounder Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous decision to become the lightweight king in his most-recent fight, in October of last year.
Then, in his very next outing, it was all gone. What went wrong?
First and foremost, it was Kambosos, who was better than billed. All the fight postponements didn’t help. The same with a bout with COVID-19. And he obviously had some personal distractions, which can be particularly challenging for a young man.
If you add all that up, perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked that the laser-focused Aussie pulled off the upset.
Lopez seemed out of sorts in the opening round, when he came out winging wild punches in an effort to stop turn his prediction of a first-round knockout into reality. Instead, he was knocked down himself in the final seconds of the round.
And while he was competitive the rest of the way and rallied late in the fight, he never strayed far from his desire to stop Kambosos. Instead, he should’ve simply let his hands go more than he did. That includes the moments after he put Kambosos down, when he didn’t try hard enough to finish the job and salvage a victory.
Now, after Kambosos had his hand raised, it’s reasonable to ask: Is Lopez as good as we thought he was after he beat Lomachenko? Or did he catch the Ukrainian on an off night?
Again, Lopez is young. He can bounce back from this. We’ll see whether he does.
WORSE
I understand the frustration a fighter must feel when he believes he has been cheated by the judges.
Lopez and Brandon Figueroa, who lost a majority decision to Stephen Fulton in a 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday, both declared after their setbacks that “everyone knows who won.” And, yes, the fights were competitive. One could argue that the wrong men won.
However, Lopez and Figueroa probably didn’t express their feelings in an appropriate way, as both them interrupted interviews with the winners to convey their outrage. That wasn’t fair to the their opponents, who had no say in the scoring.
I’m a big proponent of allowing the victor to have his or her moment, particularly after such hard-earned triumphs. Lopez and Figueroa would’ve had the opportunity to speak in their own interviews a few minutes later.
Instead, they stole some of Kambosos and Fulton’s glory.
And, in my opinion, they weren’t robbed. Again, I thought Kambosos outworked Lopez, which is why I gave him seven of the 12 rounds. And while the indefatigable Figueroa threw more punches than Fulton, the latter landed the cleaner shots. I had Fulton winning eight of the 12 rounds.
As I said earlier, a more-focused Lopez can and probably will bounce back. And while Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) lost his 122-pound title to Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs), he won added respect for a splendid performance. He’s going to give the 126-pounder hell going forward.
Indeed, neither Lopez nor Figueroa needed to lose their cool after their setbacks. The future is bright.
[vertical-gallery id=26377][vertical-gallery id=26343]
Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true.
GOOD
Dreams can come true no matter where you live in the world.
George Kambosos, a former rugby player from Australia, imagined becoming a world boxing champion from an early. He had natural gifts and grit, he put in the work over many years and he developed an unwavering belief in himself.
All that paid off on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he upset Teofimo Lopez by a split decision to become undisputed lightweight champion.
And it was no fluke. Kambosos insisted repeatedly that he was better than Lopez and he proved it. He outboxed the conqueror of Vasiliy Lomchenko, he outworked him and he took everything Lopez threw at him.
Yes, he went down in Round 10, but that only gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his mettle under difficult circumstances, as he had strong rounds in 11 and 12.
Kambosos lost some rounds but the decision wasn’t controversial, no matter what Lopez said afterward. One judge had it 114-113 for Lopez but the other two scored it for Kambosos, 115-111 and 115-112. Each of the latter two gave the winner eight of the 12 rounds.
Dominating? No. Convincing? Yes.
And you should remember something about fighters from remote outposts: They must travel the world and fight in hostile territories to achieve their goals, as Kambosos did when he outpointed Mickey Bey at The Garden, Lee Selby in London and now Lopez.
That adds a layer of difficulty and makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.
Kambosos is now the undisputed 135-pound champion, assuming you don’t buy into the WBC’s confusing “franchise champion” designation. I don’t know whether he’s the best Australian boxer of all time – Jeff Fenech might have something to say about that, for example – but he did make history.
Nothing will ever be the same for him.
BAD
Thank you all for the love and support tonight. I’m grateful for you all and I know God has his plans set for me. They can punch me high, kick me low. It’s going to take more than that to break my soul! God bless everyone and Happy Holidays. See you all back in the ring in 2022🤍 pic.twitter.com/Oe5CtG7K3x
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) November 28, 2021
Lopez is young, only 24. He’ll learn from this experience.
The Brooklynite became an instantaneous star when he upset pound-for-pounder Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous decision to become the lightweight king in his most-recent fight, in October of last year.
Then, in his very next outing, it was all gone. What went wrong?
First and foremost, it was Kambosos, who was better than billed. All the fight postponements didn’t help. The same with a bout with COVID-19. And he obviously had some personal distractions, which can be particularly challenging for a young man.
If you add all that up, perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked that the laser-focused Aussie pulled off the upset.
Lopez seemed out of sorts in the opening round, when he came out winging wild punches in an effort to stop turn his prediction of a first-round knockout into reality. Instead, he was knocked down himself in the final seconds of the round.
And while he was competitive the rest of the way and rallied late in the fight, he never strayed far from his desire to stop Kambosos. Instead, he should’ve simply let his hands go more than he did. That includes the moments after he put Kambosos down, when he didn’t try hard enough to finish the job and salvage a victory.
Now, after Kambosos had his hand raised, it’s reasonable to ask: Is Lopez as good as we thought he was after he beat Lomachenko? Or did he catch the Ukrainian on an off night?
Again, Lopez is young. He can bounce back from this. We’ll see whether he does.
WORSE
I understand the frustration a fighter must feel when he believes he has been cheated by the judges.
Lopez and Brandon Figueroa, who lost a majority decision to Stephen Fulton in a 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday, both declared after their setbacks that “everyone knows who won.” And, yes, the fights were competitive. One could argue that the wrong men won.
However, Lopez and Figueroa probably didn’t express their feelings in an appropriate way, as both them interrupted interviews with the winners to convey their outrage. That wasn’t fair to the their opponents, who had no say in the scoring.
I’m a big proponent of allowing the victor to have his or her moment, particularly after such hard-earned triumphs. Lopez and Figueroa would’ve had the opportunity to speak in their own interviews a few minutes later.
Instead, they stole some of Kambosos and Fulton’s glory.
And, in my opinion, they weren’t robbed. Again, I thought Kambosos outworked Lopez, which is why I gave him seven of the 12 rounds. And while the indefatigable Figueroa threw more punches than Fulton, the latter landed the cleaner shots. I had Fulton winning eight of the 12 rounds.
As I said earlier, a more-focused Lopez can and probably will bounce back. And while Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) lost his 122-pound title to Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs), he won added respect for a splendid performance. He’s going to give the 126-pounder hell going forward.
Indeed, neither Lopez nor Figueroa needed to lose their cool after their setbacks. The future is bright.
[vertical-gallery id=26377][vertical-gallery id=26343]
