Gary Russell Jr. a bad matchup for Mark Magsayo, says Peñalosa

Filipino featherweight prospect Mark Magsayo may have a hard time getting a gold-plated strap around his waist because of the deep talent pool in the 126-pound division, according to retired two-division champion Gerry Peñalosa.

Magsayo, 26, is coming off a sensational tenth-round knockout win over Mexico’s Julio Ceja on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas last month but it was a fight that proved that the Filipino still has a lot to improve says Peñalosa.

“First of all he has to improve his stamina because if he is going to fight world-caliber champions in the featherweight division they are all good, there is no easy fight. Second is his defense, he can be erratic and overly excited to finish,” Peñalosa said.

Magsayo (23-0, 16KOs) became the mandatory challenger to WBC world featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr (31-1, 18KOs) following the fight. Peñalosa wants to see Magsayo get a crack at a world title, though he also believes that the American might prove to be too much at the moment.

“Russell is way better than Ceja so it cannot be compared. Russell is on a different level stylistically. He has good footwork and hand speed though if he gets hit by Mark he can go down,” he said.

“If they know that Magsayo would have a hard time then they should decide if they will let him fight or not. I told Sean Gibbons in front of Senator Manny Pacquiao that I do not think Russell is an ideal fight for Mark. He agreed, so I do not know what their next move is.”

—JMB, GMA News