By: JD Sanchez
The future is bright for Bohol’s Magnifico
In his homecoming, Mark Magsayo (18-0, 13KOs) successfully defended his WBO International Featherweight title against seasoned veteran Shota Hayashi of Japan (30-7-1, 18KOs), Saturday evening at the Bohol Wisdom School Gym in Tagbiliran City.
“Inisip ko pamilya ko. Inisip ko belt ko na sana hindi mabawi kaya nilakasan ko fighting spirit ko,” Magsayo said.
The fight went the 12 full rounds, with both warriors giving their all. At the end of the 36-minute slugfest, the judges saw the bout in favor of the Filipino, 116-112, 116-112, 116-112.
Headlining Pinoy Pride 43 in his hometown in front of his family, friends, and fans, Magsayo knew and vowed that he needed to fight smart and be technical in his approach. That did not stop him from going toe-to-toe against the very same Hayashi, who was making his overseas debut.
The two traded hard punches all throughout with Magsayo landing the cleaner ones. The Tagbilaran native punished the Japaneese visitor with brutal body and head combinations, but the latter would shrug them off and drop his own deadly combos to the delight of those in attendance.
The win could easily propel him towards fighting for the WBO World Featherweight championship belt currently held by Mexico’s Oscar Valdez — or at the very least, a title eliminator.
In the undercard, Albert Pagara and Jeo Santisima came out on top, as both fighters did not waste time to dispose their respective opponents.
Pagara (29-1) overwhelmed Mohammed Kambulata (16-4) as he knocked down his opponent twice in the second round that called for the stoppage, while Santisima (15-2) needed just 36 seconds to dispose of Kichang Kim (8-5-1)
Pinoy Pride 43: The Battle in Bohol Results
November 25, 2017 – Bohol Wisdom School Gym, Tagbilaran City
Super Bantamweight bout: Virgel Vitor (12-1, 7 KOs) def. John Ray Logatiman (6-7-2) via UD
Minimumweight bout: Melvin Jerusalem (12-2, 7 KOs) def. Jestoni Racoma (6-3-1) via UD
Flyweight bout: Esneth Domingo (8-0, 4 KOs) def. Lowell Saguisa (7-27-1, 3 KOs) via UD
Flyweight bout: Rocky Fuentes (36-9-2, 20 KOs) def. Ryan Tampus (11-21, 8 KOs) via KO1
Featherweight bout: Roli Gasca (24-8-1, 7 KOs) def. Jason Tinampay (8-7-1, 7 KOs) via UD
Junior Flyweight bout: Christian Bacolod (8-0, 6 KOs) def. Ryan Makaputin (12-11-2, 4 KOs) via TKO2
