Andres Cortes Defeats Mark Magsayo on Points

Andres Cortes preserved his unbeaten record and damaged Mark Magsayo’s hopes of another world-title campaign with a unanimous decision over ten rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

All three judges, Eric Cheek, Chris Migliore and David Sutherland, scored the lightweight contest 97-93 for Cortes. There could be little complaint about the winner, although referee Celestino Ruiz and the Nevada commission’s replay official supplied enough confusion over four apparent knockdowns to occupy everyone while Cortes quietly accumulated the rounds.

Cortes, a Las Vegas native, improved to 26-0 with 13 stoppages. Magsayo, the former WBC featherweight champion from the Philippines, fell to 29-3. The Filipino weighed 134½ pounds, while Cortes came in at the 135-pound limit. Magsayo had won five successive contests since losing to Brandon Figueroa in 2023, but his attempt to establish himself as a lightweight encountered an opponent who was quicker to the target and more consistent throughout.

Cortes established his authority by taking the initiative and beating Magsayo to the punch. He pressed forward without becoming careless, worked the body and prevented the former champion from settling into a useful rhythm. Magsayo occasionally found a home for his right hand but did not follow it with enough sustained work. His attacks came in isolated bursts, allowing Cortes to resume control almost immediately.

The third round produced the first of several peculiar incidents. A right hand to the body from Cortes was followed by Magsayo’s right glove touching the canvas. Ruiz ruled it a knockdown and administered a count, although Magsayo protested that he had been pushed. The replay official subsequently overturned the call, restoring the round to normal scoring.

There was a similar episode in the fourth when Magsayo went down on one knee, and Ruiz again called a knockdown. Once more the Filipino complained of a push, and once more the video review removed the count from the official record. Two further occasions later in the contest saw Magsayo touch down or lose his footing without Ruiz ruling knockdowns. Thus, after appearing to visit the floor four times, Magsayo officially had not been down at all. It was not the cleanest evening for the officials, though none of the uncertainty altered the identity of the better boxer.

Cortes continued to dictate the middle rounds through sharper timing and a higher level of activity. He was frequently first to attack and denied Magsayo the stationary target required for his heavier punches. Magsayo’s balance appeared uncertain at times, and he struggled to set his feet before Cortes had completed an attack and changed position. The former champion remained dangerous enough to command respect, but he was not producing the combinations required to reverse the direction of the contest.

The sense of urgency arrived late. Magsayo increased his work and enjoyed his best moment in the ninth round, landing a left hook with a little more than 40 seconds remaining. The punch brought a visible reaction from Cortes, but Magsayo could not trap him or deliver the necessary follow-up. Cortes regained his composure and completed the round without surrendering the substantial advantage he had built.

Magsayo pressed again in the final session and landed a crisp four-punch combination late in the round. It was a respectable finish, but no more than that. He had allowed too much of the contest to pass while Cortes accumulated points with the cleaner and more frequent work. The judges each awarded Cortes seven rounds, and the identical cards accurately reflected the broad course of the fight.

No official punch totals were immediately available, but statistics were hardly required to explain the verdict. Cortes was busier, better balanced and repeatedly reached the target first. Magsayo retained his power and rallied when defeat was already close at hand, yet his timing was irregular and his periods of inactivity proved costly.

For Cortes, this was the most recognisable victory of his career and a useful step towards the leading positions at lightweight. Magsayo, meanwhile, must decide whether the additional weight has improved him sufficiently to compensate for the speed and fluency he once possessed at featherweight. On this evidence, the move has provided him with greater size but not a simpler route back to a championship.

I thought Andres Cortes won clearly because he did the basic things far better. He got his feet into range before punching, worked the body and was usually first to let his hands go. Mark Magsayo kept waiting for the perfect opening, but against a busy, well-balanced fighter, that opening rarely arrives. By the time Magsayo showed urgency, he had already given away too much ground.

The strange knockdown incidents made the contest look more confusing than it really was. Magsayo touched the canvas several times, with two counts later overturned after replay. Whether they were punches, pushes or poor balance, the repeated falls told their own story. Magsayo was not controlling his feet when Cortes crowded him. A fighter cannot punch properly when his base is underneath somebody else’s chest.

Magsayo still carried danger in the right hand and hurt Cortes with a left hook late on, but he failed to build on either punch. His combinations came in flashes and were followed by long pauses. Cortes recovered, reset and returned to work because Magsayo never kept him under sustained pressure.

There was nothing spectacular about Cortes, but I mean that as a compliment. He stayed disciplined, made fewer mistakes and understood where the fight had to be contested. The decision was right. Magsayo’s late rally showed he still has ability, but ability without consistent work does not win rounds. At lightweight he cannot depend on one big punch rescuing him against men who are physically stronger and technically organised. Cortes exposed that weakness and deserved every bit of the victory.