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| Mark Magsayo scored a knockout in his debut at 135 pounds. Zuffa Boxing |
MANILA--Mark Magsayo made a solid impression in his first bout as a lightweight, knocking out Feargal McCrory at Zuffa Boxing 5 on Monday (Philippine Time) at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Supposed to last for 10 rounds, the former WBC featherweight champion secured the finish just before halftime.
Magsayo quickly made his presence felt in Round 1, delivering solid shots on McCrory to stomp his championship pedigree.
Magsayo appeared to have slowed down a bit in Round 2 as McCrory began showing some aggression, but the Tagbilaran native connected on crucial shots in Round 3 to keep control of the bout.
Then late into Round 4, Magsayo scored on a right hook that nearly knocked McCrory down, and the rising Irish star was just saved by the bell.
Sensing that his opponent was still groggy from the haymaker even during the timeout, Magsayo went on a roll to start Round 5.
Already feeling that their prized ward could be knocked out cold, McCrory's corner conceded the bout just 21 seconds into the round.
Magsayo is now on a five-bout winning streak after losing back-to-back matches in his bid to retain and later reclaim the WBC featherweight belt and moved up to 29-2 overall with 19 KOs.
McCrory, on the other hand, dropped to 17-2.
