Marcial, Magsayo shine under Pacquiao-Barrios spotlight

Peter Jandrei Melan

Filipino boxing pride was on full display at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as Eumir Marcial and Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo delivered dominant victories on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios showdown Sunday (Philippine time), July 20.

Photo Courtesy of GMA News

Marcial (6-0, 4 KOs), the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, made a rousing return to the pro ring with a third-round technical knockout of American Bernard Joseph. 

The 28-year-old ended the scheduled eight-rounder at the 1:55 mark of Round 3, flooring Joseph with a clean shot to keep his unbeaten record intact.

The win was Marcial’s first bout in over a year, bouncing back from a disappointing early exit in the Paris Olympics and building momentum toward a renewed push in the professional ranks.

Shortly after, former world champion Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) added to the Philippines’ winning night with a unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Jorge Mata, clinching the vacant WBC Continental Americas super featherweight title.

Magsayo outboxed Mata over 10 rounds, with all three judges scoring convincingly in his favor (100–90, 100–90 and 98–92 )in favor of the Bohol native. The Bohol native’s fourth straight win now places him firmly back in world title contention.

Together, Marcial and Magsayo’s performances capped a perfect 2-0 night for Filipino fighters ahead of Pacquiao’s highly anticipated main event return.