Brandon Figueroa’s first pick was a rematch with Stephen Fulton Jr., who nearly eliminated him in 2021, not a meeting with Mark Magsayo.
The former 122-pound owner admits he’s frustrated but he doesn’t see any benefit in wallowing in a fight that doesn’t happen. His job, he said, is to beat the men in front of him. He believes that if he does so, greater opportunities – perhaps even a second shot at Fulton – will come.
Magsayo Fight is set for Saturday in Ontario, California (Showtime).
“I just have to keep improving, keep fighting these top level fighters and keep winning. That was my main goal,” Figueroa told Boxing Junkie.
Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) made a strong statement in the defeat to the talented Fulton, who had to dig deep into himself to secure a majority decision in the title unification game in Las Vegas.
The loser thought he deserved a nod in that fight, which was one reason why he wanted to rematch. However, he put that aside for a moment when he went up to 126 and stop Carlos Castro in six innings of his most recent match, last July.
And, of course, his focus is now on Magsayo, the Filipino who overtook Gary Russell Jr. to win the 126-pound WBC belt only to lose it by decision for Rey Vargas in his next battle on the same card as Figueroa-Castro.
Saturday’s fight is for the WBC’s “interim” 126-pound title, which eases the pain of not getting another hit on Fulton right away.
“I know Mark and I are going to have another great fight,” Figueroa said. “And if everything goes according to plan, I will fight Rey Vargas or whoever wants to fight and go from there. … I’m still here fighting for world titles and that’s all I can ask for.
“I just wanted the chance to show my skills, go out and do what I do best, which is fighting. I can’t wait to do so on March 4th.”
Magsayo (24-1, 16 KOs) put on an impressive showdown against Russell, although the longtime reigning champion fought off with an injured shoulder. The new champion then got off to a slow start against slick Vargas and couldn’t get himself out of the hole.
Figueroa knew Magsayo was a real threat, although the Texans were the favorites at 2½-1.
Figueroa said: “I know he has the power, the speed, the timing, he’s very good on the counter-attack, he has a lot of ability. “I just need to use my brain a little bit, use my abilities to my advantage, use my distance, limit him a bit, let him down and do what I well done, it’s body movement.
“…I saw some mistakes on his part [in the Vargas fight]. Maybe it wasn’t his night. Just from what I see, he’s missing a few small things that I can definitely highlight on Saturday.”
Does that mean we can expect a tactical war?
Are not. That’s not Figueroa. He is a ram that bangs on your door until it falls on you. He admits that even if he hits the box at times, the match will develop into a gunfight.
“I feel like that will happen at some point,” he said with a smile. “…My goal is to become more defensive. But if I see an opening, I will definitely take advantage of it and attack. … I simply go in there and do what I do best, which is to break you.
“Train your body, train your head, throw punches from different angles, left hand, right hand. I am an arsenal. I can’t wait to show it on Saturday.”
