Magdaleno scuffles but stays unbeaten
Don’t be deceived by Jesse Magdaleno’s six-round unanimous decision over Shawn Nichol on Friday at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was tougher than it looked for the Las Vegas super bantamweight.
Magdaleno improved to 8-0 with his 60-54, 60-54, 60-54 victory. But it was his first time facing a southpaw, and he struggled at times against Nichol (5-8).
“His being a lefty threw me off,” Magdaleno admitted. “I couldn’t find my range against him. I wanted to work the body, but I was having a little trouble getting inside on him.”
Nichol was taller and rangy. He also could punch, as he backed Magdaleno up a couple of times.
“He caught me with a couple of good shots,” Magdaleno said. “But it’s all a learning experience. Each fight is different, and I come away with something that will help me.”
Magdaleno was too fast for Nichol. He put together combinations consistently and threw an effective right hook that landed several times.
“It was good for Jesse to face someone like that,” said Magdaleno’s trainer, Pat Barry said. “He adjusted nicely, and I wasn’t worried about Jesse getting hit. He has a good set of whiskers on him.”
Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler said he’s not going to rush Magdaleno into eight-round bouts just yet.
“He’s getting there,” Trampler said. “He’s building a solid foundation. Maybe later in the year we’ll move him up.”
In the main event, Teon Kennedy and Chris Martin fought to a 10-round majority draw in their super bantamweight bout. Robert Hoyle and Dave Moretti both scored the fight 95-95, and Al Lefkowitz had Kennedy winning, 97-93.
Both fighters looked dominant at times, and Martin appeared to have knocked down Kennedy toward the end of the seventh round. But referee Jay Nady determined a push and not a punch sent Kennedy to the canvas. It proved to be a critical call.
“It was a knockdown,” said Martin (23-1-3). “I felt the punch, and it would have been the difference if the ref had called it right.”
Kennedy (17-1-2) said he had done enough to win.
“I thought I pressured him more and took the fight to him,” he said. “He moved a lot better than I thought, but I probably should’ve punched more.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.