By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Pinoy boxer and rising star Mark Magsayo made it into the Premier Boxing Champions’ list of winners, grabbing the 2021 Knockout of the Year award with his stellar win over veteran and former world title contender Julio Ceja from Mexico.
Coming in as an undefeated challenger for the world title elimination match of the WBC featherweight division, Magsayo hurdled Ceja in 10 grueling rounds after scoring a vicious right straight that sent the Mexican down to the canvass.
The fight turned to Magsayo’s favor in the early rounds as the Filipino pug was quick to demonstrate his power and tallied the first knockdown of the fight with a thudding left hook.
However, the fight momentum immediately swung Ceja’s way after dominating Magsayo in the mid-section, equalizing the knockdown scores with his own at the 14th-second mark of the fifth round.
The slugfest continued as a nip-and-tuck affair as both fighters traded huge combinations in the next five rounds but Magsayo prevailed in the 10th with a performance for the ages.
Magsayo responded to the award with a Facebook live greeting, thanking everyone who supported him from day one.
Currently, Magsayo is preparing for his WBC featherweight title shot against one of the best champions in the division, Gary Russell Jr.
