Mark Magsayo W12 Eduardo Ramirez... Determined to re-enter the world title picture, Filipino Mark Magsayo, 129.4 lbs., the former WBC featherweight champion based out of Valencia, CA, earned a unanimous decision win against Mexican southpaw Eduardo Ramirez, 129 lbs., of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, over 10 rounds. Following back-to-back defeats, Magsayo (pictured) moved up to super featherweight with a rebound victory in December. The fight began slowly with Ramirez pawing his jab and Magsayo testing his power at the higher weight with single shots on the inside. Magsayo dropped Ramirez in round three with a right uppercut and straight right upstairs. By the midway point, Magsayo was opening up with combinations, often finding a home for his right uppercut. Ramirez lost his mouthpiece at the end of the fifth after taking a straight left to the jaw. With Magsayo outworking him down the stretch, Ramirez’s offense was largely ineffective, with many of his shots either blocked or smothered. Magsayo improved to 26-2 (17 KOs) with scores of 99-90, and 97-92 (twice). Ramirez is now 28-4-3 (13 KOs).
Kyrone Davis W10 Elijah Garcia... Slick and crafty veteran Kyrone Davis, out of Wilmington, DE, expertly outboxed Elijah Garcia, of Glendale, AZ, over ten rounds to hand the 21-year-old southpaw his first defeat. Trained by Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, Davis used his footwork, angles and combinations to evade much of Garcia’s offense. Garcia worked his jab to close the gap, but Davis, 160.4 lbs., stayed on his toes, moving side-to-side, throwing counters. Occasionally, Garcia managed to trap Davis in a corner or against the ropes to land power shots, but those moments were few and far between. In the later rounds, Davis used the ropes to his advantage, laying against them to catch-and-shoot with his counters. The scorecards read 97-93 (twice) for Davis, and 98-92 for Garcia, awarding Davis, now 19-3-1 (6 KOs), the split decision victory. Garcia, now 16-1 (13 KOs), was rated #1 by the WBA. The two were initially scheduled to fight on March 30th, but Garcia pulled out at the last minute due to illness. Yesterday’s weigh-in provided some drama when Garcia first tipped the scales at 165 pounds before shedding down to 163.2 pounds two hours later. The Nevada State Athletic Commission required Garcia to submit to a fight-day weigh-in and, on Saturday morning, he weighed in at 173 pounds, within the ten-pound rehydration limit, allowing the bout to continue.
Justin Viloria TKO5 Angel Contreras... Nineteen-year-old super featherweight southpaw Justin Viloria, 129.8 lbs., of Whittier, CA, improved to 6-0 (4 KOs) with a stoppage victory against Mexican Angel Contreras, 129.8 lbs., of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Early on, Contreras showed a willingness to trade with Viloria, landing his share of heavy leather. That strategy proved to be his undoing once Viloria established a proper distance to land effectively. A key weapon for Viloria, the nephew of former world champion Brian Viloria, was his right hook to the body. A double right hook to the body and head sent Contreras to a knee in round four. That same punch dropped Contreras twice more in the fifth, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to end the contest at the 2:02 mark of the frame. Contreras returned home with a record of 15-9-2 (9 KOs).