American WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. will put his strap on the line against undefeated Filipino challenger Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo in the main event of a SHOWTIME Championship Boxing card on January 22 at the Borgata Casino in New Jersey.
The Co-Main Event that will also air on the broadcast will be a rematch between Subriel Matias and Petros Ananyan.
Russell, 33, won the WBC featherweight title when he knocked out Jhonny Gonzalez in the fourth round back in 2015 and has had the belt for a long time, defending the title once a year until recently when he had a two year lay off since his last title defense.
The American champion likes to boast that he has the fastest hands in boxing and he will try to put them on display Saturday night when defends his belt against a hungry younger up and comer.
Magsayo, 26, is an undefeated featherweight contender who comes from the Philippines and trains under the watchful eye and guidance of hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach in Hollywood, California.
This will be the first title fight for the hard hitting Filipino, and he is motivated to become a world champion so he can bring honor to his native country and be held in the same esteem as former world champions from the Island.
The key’s to victory for Russell and Magsayo vary in approach.
For Russell he will need to use his superior ring IQ, speed and savvy, to avoid the hard punches of Magsayo. The challenger will need to time the faster champion and keep pressure on him to try and tire him out since he hasn’t fought in the ring for two years.
The featherweight championship is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and broadcast live on Showtime Championship Boxing.
PBC Fight Card
Featherweight Championship – Gary Russell Jr (Champ) vs. Mark Magsayo (WBC Title)
Light Welterweight – Subriel Matias vs. Petros Ananyan
Featherweight – Tugstsogt Nyambayar vs. Vic Pasillas
Middleweight – LeShawn Rodriquez vs. Sixto Suazo
Junior Middleweight – Evan Holyfield vs. Chris Rollins
Venue: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Date and Time: Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT
TV/Live Stream: SHOWTIME Championship Boxing
