MARK Magsayo and Jeo Santisima proved that they are two of the most promising young Pinoy fighters today after quick and brutal knockout wins last Saturday night in Pinoy Pride 41 – ?New Generation Warriors? at the IEC Convention Center in front of a huge crowd.
The 21-year-old Magsayo destroyed former world title challenger Daniel Diaz in the 1:45 mark of the opening round of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) International featherweight title defense.
Magsayo dropped Diaz twice before finally knocking him out with a vicious left hook to the head that dropped him for a third time and forced referee Danrex Tapdasan to wave off the fight.
?We want bigger fights for Magsayo. He is No. 2 right now. We thought Diaz was going to give Magsayo a good fight,? said ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer. ?Right now he is only 21 years old. He still has a lot to learn. There is no rush for him, we need to develop him more.?
Magsayo remained undefeated at 17-0 with 13 knockouts, while Diaz dropped to 24-8-2 with 15 knockouts.
Aldeguer said that they are looking at an October return for Magsayo in Tagbilaran City, his hometown.
?That?s what I want, to fight in my hometown,? said Magsayo.
However, there is this one fight that Magsayo has been clamoring for, a world title shot against WBO featherweight king Oscar Valdez.
?In my weight division, I really want to fight Valdez. I?m always ready in my weight division,? he said. ?I?m really happy to headline my first event and I believe that I really deserve it.?
Santisima, in the meantime, stopped previously unbeaten Goodluck Mrema also in the first round.
The 22-year-old Santisima timed an overhand right that hit Mrema right on the button, dropping him face first on the canvas.
Mrema stood up and tried to beat the count but he was too dazed and confused, which forced referee Tony Pesons to stop the fight in the 1:18 mark.
?Jeo has power. We can test him with more big fights. We can maybe do a (Jhack) Tepora vs. Jeo fight. Those are the type of fights that we want right now,? said Aldeguer.
Santisima is now 14-2 with 12 knockouts, while Mrema suffered his first career loss and slumped to 16-1 with eight knockouts.
Albert Pagara (28-1, 19 KOs) scored a fourth round knockout over showboating Thai Aekkawee Kaewmanee (16-10, 6 KOs) with a bone-crunching left hook to the ribs.
Joey Canoy (13-3-1, 6 KOs) walked away with a huge win after a unanimous decision over one-time world title challenger Melvin Jerusalem (11-2, 7 KOs). (EKA)
