Mark Magsayo was 'like a young Pacquiao' but fought cherry picked foes early in his career, says analyst

Unbeaten Filipino contender Mark Magsayo had all the makings of a great fighter at a young age, according to veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.

Tolentino, who covered Magsayo from ringside during his time with ALA Promotions, remembered how the Filipino pug was being groomed as the next big star because he fought like a young Manny Pacquiao.

“He came from ALA Promotions and before he turned professional he went through a good amateur boxing career. I have been following this young man and he is really heavy-handed,” said Tolentino.

“He was being groomed because he was like a young Pacquiao. We saw that as he rose to the rankings, but admittedly during his time with ALA Promotions, he was never really fed with serious opposition. He fought handpicked opponents.”

Tolentino also recalled the time when the local promotion decided to step up the competition for Magsayo in 2016 against Chris Avalos. It was a fight that saw Magsayo sent to the canvas, only for him to beat the count and win the fight via sixth-round technical knockout.

“When he fought Avalos he almost lost though that was just a slight improvement in opposition because Avalos has seen better days. Still, we were impressed because he picked himself up from the canvas and knocked out Avalos,” said Tolentino.

Magsayo, now holding a perfect record of 23-0 with 16 knockouts, is set to face his toughest foe to date when he takes on WBC world featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. in his first world title fight on January 23 (PH time) at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic Casino, USA.

Coming off a highlight-reel knockout in his last outing against Julio Ceja on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Ugas last August, Tolentino says Magsayo is going into the Russell fight from his most impressive performance to date.

“Magsayo is now fighting heavy opposition after he signed with MP Promotions. In his first with them, he almost lost but he was able to get back in the Julio Ceja fight which in my opinion, was his most impressive performance to date.”

—JMB, GMA News