No KO, but Magdaleno still sharp in return from layoff
That long layoff Jessie Magdaleno endured between fights didn’t seem to bother him Saturday.
Magdaleno, the undefeated super bantamweight from Las Vegas who last fought Aug. 2, returned to the ring Saturday at Texas Station and had little problem disposing of Erik Ruiz in the main event of Top Rank’s boxing card.
Magdaleno, ranked in the top 10 by three of the four sanctioning bodies, improved to 20-0 after winning an eight-round unanimous decision by 80-72 scores on the three scorecards.
“I thought it was my best fight,” said Magdaleno, who won the North American Boxing Federation Junior super bantamweight belt with the victory. “He was a tough opponent, but he was in trouble all the time.”
The two were originally scheduled to fight Oct. 25 in Fresno, Calif. But three weeks before the fight, Magdaleno’s Las Vegas apartment was burglarized and he was so emotionally distraught that he pulled out of the fight.
On Saturday, he kept his date with Ruiz and showed no signs of ring rust. He went right after Ruiz, who had last fought July 19.
Magdaleno hurt Ruiz in the second round with a huge overhand right hand that had Ruiz staggered. But he stayed upright and finished the round.
As the fight progressed, Magdaleno found a nice rhythm. He was mixing his punches well and constantly landing first and effectively.
Ruiz (13-2) had some brief moments, such as the fourth round, when he tagged Magdaleno with a left to the chin. Earlier in the round, Ruiz had Magdaleno backed up on the ropes and tried to unleash a multiple punch combination.
That momentum quickly disappeared early in the fifth round when Magdaleno unleashed a wicked combo to Ruiz’s chin, then landed another big right. Ruiz proved to have a sturdy chin, but he was being outworked by a better and busier fighter.
“He had a good chin,” Magdaleno said. “But I was able to throw pretty much whatever I wanted. He’s not a big puncher, and I knew he couldn’t hurt me. I just didn’t want to get careless in there with him.”
Trainer Joel Diaz was pleased with Magdaleno’s performance, especially with the way he finished the fight.
“Midway through the fight, we decided we were going to keep it at the same pace,” Diaz said. “He got better as the fight went longer and looked great at the end. We want to be able to do that for 10 or 12 rounds.”
There had been some mild swelling underneath Magdaleno’s left eye after Ruiz thumbed him in the first round. But cornerman Miguel Diaz prevented it from being an issue for the duration of the fight.
“No problems,” Magdaleno said. “The guys in the corner did a great job.”
And while Magdaleno didn’t knock down Ruiz, it was a dominating performance, one Magdaleno said he can build on as he continues his quest for a world title fight.
“I tried to take him out and give the fans what they wanted,” he said. “But he took some good shots, and you can’t knock everyone out.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.