Donaire Sr was right all along about Magsayo, says analyst

Veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino says Nonito Donaire Sr. was right about the weaknesses of former WBC world featherweight champion Mark Magsayo.

Magsayo, 27, fell short in his first world title defense against Rey Vargas this past weekend in Las Vegas. Before the fight, Donaire Sr. stated that the Filipino should improve the way he throws his punches and pointed out that Magsayo needed to be more of a thinking fighter.

“Nonito Donaire Sr. was right on the button. He was absolutely correct, but we held out hope that Magsayo will evolve,” Tolentino told Sparring Sessions LIVE.

“What Donaire Sr. said manifested in the fight and it has manifested before. We were holding out that there would be changes because he is now a champion and opponents are at a higher level.”

Magsayo, now 24-1 with 16 knockouts as a prizefighter, sent Vargas for a trip to the canvas in round 9 and hurt him in round 10 but was unable to get the finish. According to Tolentino, It would do Magsayo good if he would listen to feedback from the likes of Donaire Sr.

“This is not the end of Magsayo. Those opinions of people like Donaire Sr. should be taken as constructive criticism. Magsayo's career is not over yet after his loss to Vargas,” Tolentino said.

“Lessons can be learned, he has to accept these constructive criticisms. Magsayo can learn from this experience and come back a better fighter.”

—JMB, GMA News