WORKING behind a solid left jab and clustering punches with telling effect, Mexican challenger Rey Vargas survived a ninth-round knockdown yesterday to wrest the World Boxing Council featherweight crown from Mark Magsayo with a split decision win at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Vargas slugged it out with Magsayo but got tagged with a jarring right straight with 41 seconds to go in the ninth round, gripping Masayo’s waist as he went down on his knees.
But Magsayo failed to exploit this in the last two rounds as the Mexican, who had piled up points from the third to the eighth rounds, became an elusive target and yielded the last remaining world ring championship held by a Filipino boxer.
American judges Tim Cheatham and David Sutherland had identical scores of 115-112 in favor of the lanky Vargas while Jesse Reyes scored it 114-113 for Magsayo, who absorbed his first loss in 25 matches.
“I have no words to describe what happened here tonight. It was a great fight,” said Vargas, who shrugged off a cut above his left eye in the sixth round, and remained unbeaten in 36 bouts.
Using his height and reach advantage, the 5-foot-10 Mexican said he felt confident he had completely controlled the fight until he suffered his fourth career knockdown in the ninth round.
“He (Magsayo) got me there, he got me with that one, so I lost a little control,” Vargas acknowledged.
“It’s his (Vargas’) day today. He’s the man today. But no matter what I will come back stronger. I am a little disappointed, but I did my best,” Magsayo said of his unsuccessful defense of the title he likewise won by split decision from American veteran Gary Russell Jr. last January.
