After Tuesday’s welcome return to our TV screens, ESPN and Top Rank again broadcast from ‘The Bubble’ inside the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas for the second time in three evenings.
WBO Featherweight champion, Shakur Stevenson made a successful debut at Super Featherweight stopping Felix Caraballo inside six rounds on Tuesday night and Thursday’s offering sees a former World champion headline.
Las Vegas resident Jessie Magdaleno (27-1, KO18) takes part in a ten rounder at Super Featherweight against Miami-based Dominican, Yenifel Vicente (36-4-2, KO28).
Magdaleno will be looking to get back to top level fights as soon as possible, after shipping his WBO Super Bantamweight title in a thriller against Isaac Dogboe in April 2018, his sole reverse.
The 28-year-old claimed the belt in 2016, showing maturity in a clear points win over Nonito Donaire, a victory that appears even better now after the Filipino great showed he had plenty left in the tank, following a thrilling, yet ultimately unsuccessful World Boxing Super Series final against Naoya Inoue.
Magdaleno’s first defence would come five months later, and a second round knockout of Adeilson Dos Santos showcased his punch power. This was further exemplified in his second defence against Dogboe in Philadelphia, dropping his Ghanaian opponent in the opening round, but he couldn’t keep up the momentum.
He was eventually decked himself in the fifth, and then twice more in round eleven before the fight was waved off. The comeback from that defeat has been at Featherweight, with a wide points win over Rico Ramos in March 2019 followed by a technical decision win in the ninth round against Rafael Rivera his last outing back in August of the same year.
Magdaleno’s latest assignment is up at Super Featherweight and his opponent shouldn’t cause too many problems for him, but is durable and carries a punch especially in the early rounds.
Yenifel Vicente is the man in the opposite corner in Las Vegas and he has yet to be stopped in a 42 fight campaign. A professional for some 13 years, ‘The Lightning’ drew two of his first three bouts, and then won 22 on the bounce before running into Chris Avalos in August 2012.
The 33-year-old was floored for the first and only time in his career in the fifth and would lose a clear decision to a man who would go on to unsuccessfully challenge Carl Frampton for World honours years later.
After two comeback wins, it was back-to-back defeats in 2014 as Juan Antonio Rodriguez and former Lee Selby opponent Eric Hunter both took decision wins, but again Vicente rebuilt, scoring ten straight stoppage wins.
He came unstuck again in July last year against the undefeated American hope Tramaine Williams losing on a unanimous decision, but returned three months later in the Dominican Republic to knock out Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya in four rounds.
Prediction: The visitor here is heavy handed, and Magdaleno will need to be wary for the first few rounds to negate Vicente’s power. Once he comes through that test, Magdaleno should be able to pound out a clear win on the scorecards.
The vacant NABF Featherweight title is on the line on the undercard, as Adam Lopez (13-2, KO6) last seen giving Oscar Valdez a thorough examination before being stopped in seven, takes on California’s Luis Corea (12-2, KO7) in what should be a decent scrap over ten rounds.
Eric Mondragon (3-0, KO2) goes up against Mike Danny Sanchez (6-0, KO2) in a battle of unbeaten Lightweight fighters.
Dan Murray’s (5-3) proposed clash with Bryan Lua (5-0, 2 KOs) has been cancelled, after the former came in 6lbs over the Lightweight limit.
The bill will be opened by a four round contest at Bantamweight, where Gabriel Muratalla (2-0, KO2) and Fernando Robles (2-2, KO0) do battle.
