Charlie Magri vs Frank Cedeno

WBC flyweight champion Charlie Magri lost his title in his first defence when Frank Cedeno, an unfancied challenger from the Philippines, knocked him down three times in the sixth round at Wembley Arena on September 27, 1983. Italian referee Angelo Poletti stopped the contest after the third fall at 2 minutes 33 seconds. The finish brought an abrupt end to a fast and closely fought match in which Magri had appeared capable of forcing an early victory before Cedeno’s steadier boxing and greater resilience changed its course.

Magri had won the championship six months earlier by stopping Eleoncio Mercedes in the seventh round at the same arena. The East Londoner had previously held the British and European titles and entered with 28 victories and two defeats, with 21 of his wins coming inside the distance. Cedeno’s record stood at 30 wins, six losses and three draws. He had held the Philippine championship but had lost his challenge for the Oriental and Pacific title against Hong Soo Yang in South Korea. This was his first contest outside Asia, and he was not generally considered likely to defeat Magri before the champion’s home crowd. Magri weighed 111¼ pounds and Cedeno 110½.

The contrast in their methods was apparent from the opening bell. Magri, the shorter

Charlie Magri lost the WBC world flyweight championship to Frank Cedeno after being knocked down three times in the sixth round of a hard and rapidly changing contest at Wembley Arena on September 27, 1983. Italian referee Angelo Poletti stopped the bout after the third fall, with 2 minutes 33 seconds of the round completed. Magri had made a forceful beginning, but Cedeno survived the champion’s early attacks, gradually imposed his southpaw boxing and finished with a decisive two-handed assault.

The match was Magri’s first defence of the championship he had won six months earlier by stopping Eleoncio Mercedes in the seventh round at the same arena. The East Londoner had waited more than five years for his world opportunity after winning British and European honours and entered with 28 victories and two defeats, 21 of his wins having come inside the distance. Cedeno, from Talisay in the Philippines, had a record of 30 wins, six defeats and three draws. He had held the Philippine championship but had lost an Oriental and Pacific title contest to Hong Soo Yang in South Korea the previous year. This was his first contest outside Asia, and he was not generally expected to take the championship. Magri weighed 111¼ pounds and Cedeno 110½.

Magri began as though determined to justify that confidence. He carried the fight to Cedeno from the opening bell, working his way inside and driving hard punches into the challenger’s body. Cedeno, a compact southpaw, attempted to use the ring and make room for his straight left, but Magri’s pace repeatedly forced him towards the ropes. The Filipino did not remain entirely defensive. He answered with short punches to the head whenever the champion left an opening, and the first round developed into a brisk exchange rather than the cautious reconnaissance that might have been expected.

The champion increased the pressure in the second round. His body punching was particularly effective, and Cedeno was shaken more than once early in the fight. At several stages it appeared that one more clean blow might bring a quick ending. Cedeno nevertheless absorbed the punishment, allowed the ropes to take some of the force from Magri’s attacks and continued to counter. Magri was doing the greater amount of work, but he was also expending considerable energy in trying to force a stoppage.

The third round was fought at an even faster pace. Magri continued to throw heavily to the body, often putting full force into each punch, while Cedeno began to find the champion’s head with increasing regularity. The challenger’s composure under pressure proved important. He did not attempt to match Magri’s aggression punch for punch at every moment, but he remained close enough to counter and was accurate when the champion came forward. Magri’s attacks were still dangerous, though Cedeno was no longer being driven back without reply.

A change became apparent in the fourth. Magri’s pace declined sufficiently for Cedeno to establish his distance, and the challenger began bringing his straight left and right hook into the contest. Magri continued to advance and landed enough to keep Cedeno under strain, but his movements were becoming less economical. Cedeno, who had endured the harder body punches of the opening rounds, was now meeting the champion before Magri could complete his attacks. The action remained close, but the initiative was passing from the aggressive champion to the more measured challenger.

Cedeno consolidated his improvement in the fifth. He boxed with greater assurance, catching Magri as he came in and following the head punches with attacks to the body. The official scoring reflected the narrow but definite change in the bout. After five rounds, judge Fernando Paredes had Cedeno leading 50–49, Kurt Halbach had the challenger ahead 50–48, and Robert Desgain had the contest level at 49–49. Magri therefore remained within reach of retaining his title, but he entered the sixth requiring greater care than he had shown during his opening offensive.

Instead, the contest ended abruptly. Cedeno attacked with combinations to the face and then switched downstairs, forcing Magri to give ground. A left hook caught the champion cleanly on the jaw and put him down. Magri rose, but Cedeno did not permit him sufficient time or space to recover. The challenger followed with punches from both hands and sent him to the canvas for a second time. Magri again regained his feet, displaying the determination that had carried him through difficult contests at British and European level, but his legs had not recovered. Cedeno resumed the attack, and a third knockdown brought Poletti between them. Under the WBC rules then in operation, the referee stopped the fight rather than allow the badly shaken champion to continue.

Cedeno’s victory was a considerable upset and made him the WBC and recognised lineal flyweight champion. It was achieved not merely by one fortunate punch but by surviving Magri’s strongest work, allowing the champion’s pace to fall and then exploiting the openings created by his continued aggression. Magri had appeared capable of ending matters during the early rounds, but his effort to force the issue left him increasingly exposed to Cedeno’s counters. Once the Filipino hurt him in the sixth, the finish was swift and conclusive. Cedeno’s reign would also be brief: he lost the title to Koji Kobayashi in the second round of his first defence in Tokyo the following January. For Magri, the defeat ended a championship reign lasting a little over six months, although he later regained the European title and made another unsuccessful challenge for the world championship against Sot Chitalada.

Charlie Magri was one of British boxing’s most popular fighters, a little East End pressure fighter who gave everything at a pace few flyweights could match. He had waited years for his opportunity before stopping Eleoncio Mercedes, so Frank Cedeno was expected to be a manageable first defence. It proved anything but.

Magri started like the champion, driving in hard body punches and forcing the Filipino southpaw towards the ropes. He hurt Cedeno more than once, but every punch was thrown with maximum effort. That is dangerous when the opponent remains calm. Cedeno absorbed the pressure, kept returning clean head shots and gradually found the range as Charlie’s pace dropped. By the fourth round, the fight was turning.

There were later reports that Magri had struggled with the weight and fought after treatment for a boil behind his ear, which may explain why he weakened. But Cedeno still had to exploit it, and he did so intelligently. He stayed composed under fire, waited for Magri to slow and then punched through the openings.

The three knockdowns in the sixth settled everything. After the first, Magri’s legs never recovered, and Cedeno gave him no breathing room. The stoppage at 2:33 was unquestionable. This was not Magri losing because he lacked heart; if anything, he fought too hard too early. Cedeno boxed the more intelligent fight and deservedly left with the title.