Official scores were 115-112 twice for Vargas and a 114-113 card for Magsaysay. Both unofficial Bad Left Hook cards were 115-112 in Vargas’ favor. Vargas (36-0, 22 KO) certainly didn’t have the relatively easy fight we’ve seen him put up in previous 122 lb title defenses, with Magsayo (24-1, 16 KO) making him work hard enough to win the decision. But Magsayo also had a hard time with Vargas’ length and movement, even if Vargas was sitting on punches and dealing more than we’ve often seen in the past. On paper, this would give Magsayo a better chance and may have been the biggest thing that kept him alive until the end of the fight. Magsayo scored a knockdown in the ninth round, a clean right hand shot that Vargas walked, throwing a punch of his own, something he had done a few times. But Magsayo, who usually punches well, didn’t or couldn’t use that punch nearly as much as he generally preferred, and there were rounds where Vargas clearly had his way and built some good momentum in the third through eighth rounds especially. Magsayo looked to have a decent shot late, too, but he may have lost the 11th and 12th rounds to seal the win for Vargas. “This is my second world title, this one is coming back to Mexico,” Vargas said after the fight. He admitted that Magsayo “took him” with the knockdown, but said: “I was in control the whole fight (except for that), he brought me there and I lost control a little bit.” Asked what he will do next, Vargas replied: “Either unification or Leo Santa Cruz.” Santa Cruz would be a unification as Santa Cruz still laughably holds the WBA featherweight title. He’ll have a WBC mandate to fight Brandon Figueroa at some point, too. “It was his day, he was the man of today. I will come back stronger. I’m a little disappointed, but I did my best,” Magsayo said. “He did his job in the ring, running, so it’s okay. He was taller and he is the man today.” Vargas came to congratulate Magsayo and trainer Freddy Roach, and Magsayo said he would watch the fight and return to the gym to make a comeback.
Brandon Figueroa TKO-6 Carlos Castro
Some discussion of the stoppage here, partly because it was easy to see Castro winning four of the first five rounds, although he was down in the third, and partly because it looked like referee Mark Nelson jumped as soon as he had the chance when Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) drove Castro (27-2, 12 KOs) to the ropes and started throwing shots. But replays showed Castro was definitely taking some real clean shots, and Nelson said he saw Castro’s eyes go unfocused. The referees are there, it’s not me, and neither is anyone else. And more than that, even Castro didn’t complain about the interruption. If you go with nothing else, go with this, is my general advice. Figueroa, 25, is winning a WBC featherweight eliminator here, so he’s in line to win the title now, and it would be a good matchup, better than many world title fights, even if Figueroa-Castro were never to they were eliminators at 126, as both had losses at 122. It was also a fun race. Figueroa is always fun to watch, very flawed but also very tough, doesn’t get discouraged easily and picks his spots when he needs to apply a lot of pressure. That’s what got him here, because I don’t think it’s unfair at all to say that the 28-year-old Castro was clearly the better pure fighter and had a lot of success. I had him up 48-46 after five rounds, Wil had the same, Showtime’s Steve Farhood had the same. So yes, Figueroa will always be vulnerable to getting out, but the opponent must also be able to weather his storms, because he will bring them. “Carlos Castro is a great fighter,” Figueroa said. “I know he’s a crafty fighter, I had to be patient. I had to apply pressure. I got a little tired (after the third), but I knew he was hurt (in the sixth) and I had him, so I had to apply pressure.”
Frank Martin TKO-10 Jackson Marinez
This was a short notice fight as Marinez came in on just over a week’s notice to replace Ricardo Nunez and Martin allowed a 138lb catchweight to make the fight happen. Boxing fans got a win with this one because Marinez (19-3, 7 KOs) gave Martin (16-0, 12 KOs) a much better fight than I think anyone expected Nunez to get. We said it during the match, but if Marinez had taken it with proper notice, it might have been even better. But we got what we got and again we saw Marinez put in a very good effort but still lose. It’s the third fight in a row that he’s lost and the second in a row that he hasn’t been completely busy on the cards, and yet I still come out of it thinking that Marinez is a good, tough opponent for a lot of guys at 135. But Martin got the job done. He had a few frustrating rounds in the middle with Marinez, but once he landed his right hook late, he got things going. Martin is 27 years old, so he’s not really of “prospect age” and he’s never been super hyped as some blue chipper, but his skills are such that if he really maximizes them, yes, he’s a very dangerous fighter. I’d think of him as maybe something of an undrafted free agent who turns out he can actually play in the NBA, like a Fred VanVleet or, I don’t know, pick your favorite example. VanVleet comes to mind. And however you get to the top, all you have to do is get there. Not every top NBA player was a top draft pick, not every top boxer was a super fun amateur from the age of 13 or whatever. Bottom line, Martin can fight, and he says he “wants them all” and is looking for a big fight at 135. Hopefully he’ll take another good step up. This was a solid test and he passed it.
Preliminary points and results
Ramon Cardenas UD-10 Michel Banquez (96-94, 97-93, 97-93) Rashidi Ellis TKO-1 Jose Marrufo
