No more easy foes for Mark Magsayo, must step up to level of competition, says analyst

Filipino featherweight prospect Mark Magsayo will have to step his game up if he wants to become a world champion according to veteran boxing analyst Ed Tolentino.

Magsayo, 26, is coming off a tenth-round knockout over Mexican veteran Julio Ceja on the undercard of Pacquiao versus Ugas this past weekend.

But before the stoppage, Magsayo was losing the bout until he connected a monstrous right hand to add another KO to his record, a performance he cannot afford to have against the top dogs of the division says Tolentino.

“From a scale of 1 to 10 I will give him a 7. He showcased power but he has to develop other facets of his game especially conditioning.” Tolentino said.

“The problem with Magsayo is he is always good in the first half. Come the second half he starts to dissipate. He melts like butter left in the Sahara Desert. I thought he was going to quit but he got up and answered one question, his will to win,” he added.

“But he has many to fix in his style. We want to see leg movement because he is stationary and he has to throw more jabs.”

The former ALA Promotions prizefighter used to enter the ring against less dangerous opposition, but that would no longer be the case now that he is signed with MP Promotions according to the respected analyst.

“Under MP Promotions you are not going to get freebies anymore. We cannot deny that he got a lot of freebies at Pinoy Pride but that time is over. You are no longer fighting in a provincial stadium, you are in Las Vegas now,” Tolentino quipped.

“It is time to rise up to the level of competition. Magsayo will be the underdog against the champions, but the thing about him is he has a punch. When all else fails he will always have that power.”

—JMB, GMA News