On March 4, 2023, Brandon Figueroa defeated Mark Magsayo in a 12-round fight for the WBC’s interim featherweight title at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Figueroa won by unanimous decision and became the new interim WBC featherweight champion. He is now the mandatory challenger for Rey Vargas’ WBC championship. The fight was tough, with both fighters landing significant punches.
However, Figueroa landed more punches, throwing 653 total punches against Magsayo’s 593, and his higher volume of power punches ultimately wore down Magsayo, who lost the WBC belt to Vargas in his previous fight.
Figueroa, a former WBA/WBC 122-pound champion, expressed his excitement and desire for the fight, stating “Man, I just went out there and wanted it and took the fight right to him,” said Figueroa in the postfight on showtime. “I wanted this fight so bad. He came back a little, but once I hit him with a body shot it affected him and I put pressure, pressure, pressure on him.”
