Rey Vargas Dethrones Mark Magsayo
By: Sean Crose
24-0 WBC featherweight boxer Mark Magsayo faced off against an undefeated fighter, 35-0 Rey Vargas, in a scheduled 12th round main event at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday night Seven. The match was broadcast live by Showtime. Right at the beginning, the two people often appear on the same page, tossing quickly and happily with each other. Vargas searches for bodies in seconds. However, Magsayo seems to be a bit stronger. Magsayo seems to be dominating the game tempo in the first half of season three. However, Vargas did a much better job of holding off his man in the second half.
Magsayo had a bit of a hard time approaching his man in the fourth installment. Vargas has a strong fifth for the most part, landing when he can and holding when Magsayo lunges at him. Magsayo, however, can land and land well in spots. The sixth game saw Magsayo smack Vargas in the head multiple times. Vargas, with his credit, took the picture very well. In the middle of the fight, Magsayo seems to be able to land quite often. Vargas could have also landed, but he had to make a lot of headers. The question is whether Vargas, who throws more, gets credit for being the more aggressive of the two.
Vargas made his mark for a stellar performance in the eighth section. Magsayo had some favorable headers, but they seemed to have no impact. It was clear that Vargas’ height advantage could be the story of the war. Vargas goes down in ninth place. He defeated the count, but Magsayo’s power was now felt by the challenger. Tenth score was close, but Magsayo landed more than noticeable punches. Vargas prevented Magsayo from doing anything in the eleventh round.
The twelfth and final inning saw Vargas shoot from a distance while being watched by Magsayo. It’s a fast-paced, high-energy fight. In the end, however, the umpires awarded Vargas a decisive win – as well as the WBC featherweight title.