Younger Magdaleno to fight in California
Diego Magdaleno took his show on the road last month and won in Tucson, Ariz. Now it’s his younger brother’s turn to leave home and fight.
Super bantamweight Jesse Magdaleno (8-0, five knockouts) fights outside of Las Vegas for the first time in his professional career Saturday when he faces Nick Fast (7-1-2, six KOs) of Kansas City, Mo., in a six-round bout in Pomona, Calif.
“I like it, and I don’t like it,” the 20-year-old Magdaleno said of leaving Las Vegas. “It’s always good to have the support of your family and your friends when you fight. But it’s my job, so I have to deal with it and learn how to fight away from Las Vegas. The good thing is it’s in California, so it’s not that hard for my fans to get there if they want.”
The card at Los Angeles County Fairgrounds also features local welterweight Anthony Lenk (13-1, seven KOs) against Alberto Herrera (8-5-1, five KOs) in an eight-round bout. In the 12-round main event, Roman Gonzalez (31-0, 26 KOs) defends his WBA light flyweight title against Ramon Garcia (16-3-1, nine KOs).
Magdaleno, coming off a six-round unanimous decision over Shawn Nichol at the Hard Rock Hotel on Jan. 13, said the focus of his recent training at Barry’s Boxing Center has been defense.
“We’ve been working a lot more on speed and head movement,” Magdaleno said. “They’ve got me angling out and throwing punches from there. I’m also trying to get stronger. But every fight is a learning experience, and everything seems to be falling into place.”
■ PALTRY NUMBERS – The Nevada Athletic Commission released official attendance and gate numbers for the controversial lightweight title fight between Brandon Rios and Richard Abril on April 14 at Mandalay Bay. Total tickets sold to the fight, which saw Rios win a 12-round split decision, were just 2,728, with 531 complimentary tickets distributed. Total gate was only $257,950.
■ AT THE MOVIES – Local fight fans who don’t want to battle the traffic on the Strip to watch the WBA junior middleweight title fight between Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden on May 5 have an option.
Galaxy 16 Theaters at the Cannery on East Craig Road in North Las Vegas will show the card in high definition beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets priced at $25 are available online at galaxytheaters.com/cannery.
In addition, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage and the Monte Carlo will show the fight on closed-circuit TV. Tickets are $75.
■ PAVLIK’S NEXT FIGHT – Former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik headlines Top Rank’s ESPN2-televised fight card June 8 at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs), coming off a second-round technical knockout of Aaron Jaco in San Antonio on March 31, will meet Scott Sigmon (22-3, 13 KOs) in the 10-round super middleweight main event. Also on the card is former Notre Dame light heavyweight Mike Lee (8-0, five KOs) in a six-round bout against an opponent to be determined.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.