MARK Magsayo may get his much-awaited world title shot early in 2022.
It was reported in multiple websites that World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. will be defending his belt against mandatory challenger Magsayo in a Premier Boxing Champions event on Jan. 22, 2022 in a yet-to-be-determined venue.
The 26-year-old Magsayo started his campaign in the US in 2020 with a less than impressive split decision win over Rigoberto Hermosillo.
He more than made up for that underwhelming performance with back-to-back knockout wins over Pablo Cruz and former world champion Julio Ceja in 2021, which earned him his mandatory title shot against Russell Jr.
Russell Jr. is the long-time titleholder of the WBC featherweight belt.
After losing in a World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight bout with Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2014, Russell Jr. dethroned veteran Jhonny Gonzalez for the WBC featherweight title in 2015. He has defended his belt five times by beating the likes of Patrick Hyland, Oscar Escandon, Jojo Diaz, Kiko Martinez and Tugstsogt Nyambayar.
Magsayo is 23-0 with 16 knockouts, while Russell Jr. is 31-1 with 18 knockouts.