Magsayo wrests title from Russell

Gary Russell Jr. - Mark Magsio
Gary Russell Jr. - Mark Magsio

WBC Featherweight Mandatory Challenger Mark Magsio (24-0, 16 KOs) defeated Gary Russell Jr. (31-2, 18 KOs) and took the championship title from him in the main event of the evening at the Borgata Hotel arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Magsayo got off to a good start. In the fourth round, left-hander Russell injured his right shoulder and the rest of the fight was actually fought with one hand, throwing almost no jabs. In the end, Magsio outplayed Russell by a wide margin on power shots 259-140. Judges score: 114-114 and twice 115-113. At the time of the fight, Russell was the longest-serving of all world champions.