Author: Paul Magno

Although Mark Magsayo is trying for his second major title this Saturday when he faces Brandon Figueroa for the interim WBC featherweight belt at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, live on Showtime, he’s still seen by many as “that guy who kinda fights like Manny Pacquiao.” It’s a blessing and a curse when it comes to Filipino fighters. Get good enough and you WILL be compared to legendary Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao. In the case of Magsayo, though, there was more than just a passing resemblance between him and the future first ballot Hall of Famer. The Pasig City native…

When Jake Paul lost a split decision to Tommy Fury on Sunday, boxing “purists” let out a collective “Yes! he sideshow is over!” exclamation. But the “sideshow” isn’t over. Paul will be back, Paul-Fury 2 is already hatching, and, honestly, Tommy Fury is just as much of a “celebrity boxer” as Jake Paul is. Would it even be in boxing’s best interest right now for the “sideshow” to be over? There’s a case to be made that these YouTubers/Influencers/Celebs trying their hand in boxing are playing a positive role in keeping the sport relevant to young fans. From a recent…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – Well, it’s official…I guess. Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Ryan “King Ry” Garcia on April 22 in Las Vegas has been confirmed by both fighters via social media. It’s also been confirmed by Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya and head of Showtime Sports, Stephen Espinoza. It seems like every week there’s been some rumor about this highly-anticipated fight. Sometimes, the rumors have fight talks stalled over some contractual dispute. Other times, the buzz is that all is well and that an announcement would be imminent.…

When Jake Paul meets Tommy Fury this Sunday (US time) in Saudi Arabia, there’s apparently going to be some extra sizzle to the steak– a double or nothing bet between the two novice pros. “He keeps on saying it’s an easy fight. Knocking me out, starching me, all these things,” the 26-year-old Paul said in Thursday’s final press conference to hype the pay-per-view event. “He comes from the bloodline, he’s been doing it his whole entire. Tommy, do you think this is gonna be an easy fight? “I think we make a deal then, since you’re so confident. If you…

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions recently gave updates on several of his fighters and the status of their upcoming fights. Here’s what he had to say in a video interview with iDBoxing: On Shakur Stevenson and his place in the talented lightweight division: “The plan is for [Stevenson] to fight the Haney-Loma[chenko] winner…If Haney wins, he’s talking about going to 140, so that makes it a vacant title for Shakur. “But if Loma wins, then Loma and Shakur is a fight that I would pay all kinds of money to watch. That’s really an unbelievable…

How close are we to having Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, a full four-belt heavyweight unification clash? That depends on who you ask and when you ask them. Fury co-promoter Bob Arum recently expressed his optimism to iD Boxing, pointing out that there’s already a date and a venue for the mega-event. “The date is pretty well set, it’s the last Saturday in April,” Arum said. “We’re looking to put the fight at Wembley Stadium and we’re getting close with the negotiations. Hopefully, we can get busy on that fight as early as next week and get the thing going.”…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have signed their contracts for the highly-anticipated April 15 clash and are now just awaiting the final network green light. Reportedly, the official fight announcement could happen very soon. Davis recently pleaded guilty to four charges related to a hit-and-run incident in 2020 and will be sentenced on May 5. This legal move removed one more possible hurdle from the effort to make Davis-Garcia. With everything seemingly out of the way, including a disagreement over…

Thursday, at the Baltimore Circuit Court, Gervonta “Tank” Davis waved his right to a trial and pleaded guilty to four counts pertaining to a hit-and-run incident in November 2020, which left four people injured. The three-division world champ pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, failing to notify of property damage, driving with a revoked license, and running a red light. As reported by the Baltimore Sun, Davis admitted to crashing his Lamborghini into a Toyota sedan around 2 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2020 in Baltimore and then leaving the scene of the accident. According…

The WBO has just ordered a Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez bout for Taylor’s WBO junior welterweight title and they’ve given the two sides until February 24 to reach a deal before a purse bid is ordered. You could call this one a sweet and sour bout. “Sweet” because it IS a sweet matchup. These are two high-end fighters with high-end skills who’ve hit rough patches in their careers and desperately need a high-profile victory right about now. Both are also fiercely, almost obnoxiously, proud fighters who insist on victory. “Sour” because both can be accused of stepping around more…

Bill Haney, father and trainer of 4-belt unified lightweight world champ Devin Haney, recently had a lot to say about former 4-belt middleweight champ, former light heavyweight titlist, and Hall of Famer, Bernard Hopkins. Responding to some negative comments Hopkins made about his son (and this current generation of fighter in general), the elder Haney let loose on the legendary fighter in an interview with FightHype.com. “Bernard Hopkins has lost touch with reality and what’s real and what is his job to do,” Haney said. “It’s just really sad that Bernard Hopkins will have not good things to say about…