HIGHLY-touted Filipino prospect Mark Magsayo will now be working closely with his childhood ring idol Manny Pacquiao after signing a promotional deal with MP Promotions.
Magsayo went to Pacquiao’s home in Makati City on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, to sign a promotional contract with MP Promotions. Also present in the contract signing was MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons.
“Huge thanks to my idol (Pacquiao) and Sir Sean Gibbons,” the 24-year-old pride of Bohol told SunStar Cebu.
Magsayo will be promoted by MP Promotions and will be seeing action in Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) events, which also promotes Pacquiao in the US.
Magsayo said that he’s scheduled to fight in a PBC show on May 16. The PBC has a good list of featherweights under its promotional banner--the likes of World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Gary Russell Jr., World Boxing Association (WBA) Super champion Leo Santa Cruz, WBA Gold champion Claudio Marrero, WBC No. 3 Tugstsogt Nyambayar, Abner Mares, Kiko Martinez, Lee Selby and Oscar Escandon.
Magsayo is currently rated No. 4 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF), No. 5 in the WBC and No. 11 in the WBA.
Magsayo will be leaving for the US this week and will be training there under the guidance of Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
As an eight-year-old kid, Magsayo fell in love with boxing after seeing Pacquiao in action against Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2003.
Magsayo was selling ice cream and accidentally bumped into the newly-opened ALA Gym in Bohol, which incidentally was showing the fight on TV. (EKA)