Magsayo crushes Ecuadorian

Former world champion Mark Magsayo made short work of Ecuadorian rival Bryan Mercado in their light-weight bout Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) in Long Beach, California.

The Los Angeles-based Filipino proved too powerful and too skilled for the game but simply overwhelmed Mercado, who took four trips to the floor before the referee decided to pull the plug in his bid.

Most of the damage inflicted by Magsayo were from vicious left hooks to the body of Mercado, who sank to the floor following the solid connections.

It was a stay-active fight for Magsayo, who is eyeing bigger things in 2025 with his American representative, the very influential Sean Gibbons leading the way.

Magsayo is rated highly by all the four major sanctioning bodies and is sure to contend for one of the titles next year.

The victory boosted Magsayo’s record to 26-2 with 17 knockouts while the defeat dropped the southpaw Mercado’s mark to 116-1 with six knockouts.

Now trained by longtime Freddie Roach assistant Marvin Somodio, Magsayo is one of the Philippines’ hottest prospects for a world crown.