Two former world titleholders will square off in a compelling crossroads bout. 

Former WBC world featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo, who is ranked No. 3 by The Ring will face Brandon Figueroa on March 4, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) announced Monday afternoon. The 12-round bout will take place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will headline a three-bout Showtime Championship Boxing telecast (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). 

“March 4 will be headlined by an explosive clash of exciting styles, as Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo are sure to go toe-to-toe to secure their standing in the featherweight division,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Mark has the opportunity to regain his status after losing the title in a close fight last time out. Brandon looked spectacular in his featherweight debut (in his last bout).

Magsayo (24-1, 16 knockouts), who is originally from Tagbilaran City in the Philippines and now resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Valencia, lost the WBC title to Rey Vargas by split decision in his last bout on July 9. Magsayo won the WBC on January 22 of last year, defeating longtime titleholder Gary Russell Jr. by majority decision.

The 26-year-old also has victories over Chris Avalos and Julio Ceja. Magsayo believes a fight against Figueroa can produce fireworks in an all-action fight.

“Figueroa and I both like to move forward, so everyone knows exactly what kind of fight this will be,” said Magsayo. “My goals are to give the fans the action they love and to regain my place in the division. I’m ready to face anyone they put in front of me. This is a true Mexican versus Filipino style matchup, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring to perform once again.”

Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs), who resides in Weslaco, Texas, also fought on the same July 9 card, stopping Carlos Castro in the sixth round. It was his first fight since November 2021, when he lost to Stephen Fulton by majority decision in a back-and-forth fight. 

Prior to the Fulton fight, Figueroa, also 26, won the WBC world junior featherweight title in May 2021 by knocking out Luis Nery in the seventh round. Figueroa hopes to continue the momentum as a win over Magsayo would move him into the upper echelon of the 126-pound division. 

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring to do what I love,” said Figueroa. “I want to fight the best, so I’m very motivated to be up against a former champion at featherweight like Magsayo. I’m confident that we’re going to give the fans a great fight, because neither of us like to take a step back. This is my chance to really show what I’m capable of at 126 pounds and I’m just eager to dominate and prove it to the world.”

In the co-feature, Jarrett Hurd will square off against Armando Resendiz in a 10-round middleweight bout.

Hurd (24-2, 16 KOs), who resides in Accokeek, Maryland, is a former world unified junior middleweight titleholder. In his last bout in June 2021, Hurd lost by split decision to Luis Arias. He has lost two of his last three fights.

Resendiz (13-1, 9 KOs) stopped Heber Rondon in the second round of his last bout on October 15. The win took place over 13 months after Resendiz suffered the first loss of his professional career at the hands of Marcos Hernandez. 

In the opening bout of the Showtime telecast, middleweight Amilcar Vidal (16-0, 12 KOs) of Montevideo, Uruguay will face Phoenix’s Elijah Garcia (13-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight bout. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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