FORMER world champion Mark Magsayo makes his super featherweight debut on Dec. 9, 2023, takes on Mexican Isaac Avelar at the Infinite Reality Studio in Long Beach, California.
The 28-year-old Magsayo decided that he was done fighting as a featherweight after suffering two straight losses.
Magsayo lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title after a split decision defeat to Mexican star Rey Vargas last year in San Antonio, Texas. It was Magsayo’s first title defense of the belt that he won against Gary Russell Jr. earlier that year.
Magsayo fought for the interim WBC featherweight strap against Brandon Figueroa on March 4 in Ontario, California. He was totally outclassed by Figueroa and lost by a one-sided unanimous decision.
The 26-year-old Avelar should be a perfect opponent for Magsayo to test him in his first fight in the super featherweight division.
Avelar has fought some elite competition, the likes of former world champions Stephen Fulton and Hector Luis Garcia.
Avelar is currently in a slump, just winning once in his last five fights in a three-year span. His last win was a unanimous decision over Roberto Meza in Ontario, California last year.
After moving up in weight, Magsayo still earned a spot in the WBC super featherweight rankings at No. 6. The current WBC super featherweight king is O’Shaquie Foster.
Magsayo is 24-2 with 16 knockouts, while Avelar is 17-6 with 10 knockouts.
