The odds are in and it doesn’t look as if experts were frightened by Filipino knockout artist Mark Magsayo’s last performance.
Latest odds list Magsayo as +440 underdog in his quest to unseat Gary Russell Jr. as World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight king in their 22 January showdown at the Borgata Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In fact, Russell, who will be making the sixth defense of the WBC 126-lb throne, is -550.
To simplify the odds, a mere $100 wager on Magsayo wins $440.
In contrast, someone who bets on Russell has to cough up $550 just to win $100.
Magsayo, 26, vaulted into title contention last August in Las Vegas where he flattened Mexican Julio Ceja in the tenth round of a slugfest at the T-Mobile Arena.
Russell, 33, hasn’t been as active as Magsayo, having fought the last time as far back as February 2020.
One of boxing’s longest reigning world champions, Russell, a native of Washington, D.C., packs a 31–1 record with 18 knockouts.
Magsayo, who has relocated to the United States since mid-2020, parades a 23-0 card with 16 knockouts.
The come-from-behind stoppage of the heavy-handed Ceja has so far been Magsayo’s most devastating display of firepower.
Under contract with the Sean Gibbons-led MP Promotions, Magsayo is the Philippines brightest bet for a world title.
Since October, Magsayo has been working with Hall of Fame strategist Freddie Roach and assistant Marvin Somodio at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
