Magsayo outguns Cuellar, moves closer to world title shot

Mark "Magnifico" Magsayo showed why he remains one of the Philippines’ brightest boxing hopes, as he earned a convincing unanimous decision win over Mexico’s Jorge Mata Cuellar in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Barrios showdown at the MGM Grand Arena.

It wasn’t easy. Cuellar proved to be a rugged, resilient opponent, forcing Magsayo into a gritty 10-round battle filled with powerful exchanges. 

But in the end, it was the former world champion from Tagbilaran City, Bohol who came out on top.

Two judges saw the fight as a 100-90 shutout, while the third scored it 98-92 — all in favor of Magsayo, who improved to 28 wins (18 by KO) against 2 losses. 

The win also earned him the WBC Continental Americas super featherweight title, adding momentum to his march back to world title contention.

“He was tough. He took a lot of shots but kept firing back. I had to stay sharp all the way,” Magsayo said after the bout.

While the scorecards suggest a dominant performance, the reality inside the ring told a tougher story. Cuellar absorbed Magsayo’s best shots — especially in the fourth round where the Filipino let loose a flurry of clean power punches — and still managed to respond with sharp counterattacks.

The victory marks a successful U.S. return for Magsayo, whose last title reign came after dethroning Gary Russell Jr. in 2022 to become the WBC featherweight world champion.

Now competing in the super featherweight division, Magsayo is once again on the brink of a world title shot, and Saturday’s win solidified his position in the queue.

“We’re staying focused. I can’t be complacent. The goal is to be world champion again,” he said.

With the win, Magsayo made it 2-0 for Filipino fighters on the Pacquiao-Barrios undercard, following Eumir Marcial’s earlier victory — a strong showing for Philippine boxing on one of its grandest nights.

“Hats off to Jorge Mata, he is a tough fighter. Thank you for giving a great show to the boxing fans tonight. Big thank you to my team for all the improvements you made to me — I owe it to all of you,” Magsayo concluded.