By Kenneth Friedman: Jessie Magdaleno will be fighting this Thursday, June 11, against super bantamweight contender Yenifel Vicente in a 10 round fight in the main event on ESPN at the MGM Grand Conference Center Grand Ballroom in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The former WBO 122-pound champion Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KOs), will be looking to pick up his third consecutive victory since losing his title to Isaac Dogboe in April 2018.

The 28-year-old Magdaleno has got a tough opponent in #12 WBO, #15 IBF 122-pound contender Vicente (36-4-2, 28 KOs). This is a fight that is comparable to the last two that Magdaleno has had in his bouts against Rafael Rivera and Rico Ramos. With his KO percentage of 65.12, Vincente is a bigger puncher than Ramos and Rivera.

Jessie Magdaleno looking to showcase his talent

Magdaleno will need to have his defense on point if he wants to win this fight because he fell apart under the power shots from Isaac Dogboe two years ago in their clash on April 28, 2018, at the Liacouras Center, in Philadelphia.

Magdaleno was strong in the early rounds against Dogboe in dropping him in the first round and giving him a lot of trouble through the fourth. However, when Dogboe was still standing by the 5th, that’s when Magdaleno fell apart.

Dogboe dropped Magdaleno in the fifth and then continued to dominate the fight the rest of the way before knocking him out in the 11th after knocking him down twice.

A large part of the reason why Magdaleno gassed out against Dogboe was the fact that he’d outgrown the 122-pound division. Magdaleno was taking off a lot of weight to make the super bantamweight limit. Jessie had been fighting in that division since he turned pro in 2010, and it was long overdue for him to make a move up to 126.

Surprisingly, Magdaleno was able to make it as far as he did in meeting down to fight in the 122lb weight class.

Jessie one of the first fighters back

“It feels great to be one of the first fighters back,” Magdaleno said. “I’m excited to get back in the ring, especially after my last fight was canceled. I didn’t get discouraged. And I am even more ready now. I can’t wait to showcase my talent to the ESPN audience. What better way to show that the champ is back?”

Ranked #1 with the World Boxing Council at featherweight, Magdaleno is on the doorsteps of WBO 126-pound champion Gary Russell Jr. He can’t afford to lose to Vincente if he wants a title shot against Russell. It’s taken Magdaleno two years to come back from his loss to Dogboe, and it would be disastrous if he gets beaten again before fighting for the belt.

Most boxing fans feel that the 32-year-old Russell Jr. (31-1, 18 KOs) will be too fast for Magdaleno, but perhaps his youth and power will carry him through to victory against the 2008 U.S Olympian.

It’s still too early for Magdaleno to start looking for the Russell Jr. fight. He’s got to get passed Vincente, and perhaps another opponent before he gets his title shot. Magdaleno hasn’t fought in 10 months, and he needs to get the rust out to sharpen up before he fights for a world title.

It would be a good idea for Magdaleno to make sure he doesn’t blast Vincente out too quickly because he needs rounds. If he knocks this guy out too quickly, then it won’t help him as much to work on things.

Jessie will be fighting Vincente in his hometown

Magdaleno will have the fans on his side when he enters the ring this Thursday in Las Vegas against Vincente. That’s going to be an added incentive for Magdaleno to put on a show. Not only will the fight be shown on ESPN, but it’ll be taking place in front of his fans in Vegas.

This is the first time back in Las Vegas for Magdaleno since he defeated the highly talented Nonito Donaire four years ago in November 2016. In that match, Magdaleno beat the former four-division world champion Donaire by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Las Vegas native will be fighting in his hometown for the first time since he dethroned four-weight kingpin Nonito Donaire in November 2016. Vicente, the author of numerous highlight-reel knockouts, is 11-1 with 11 knockouts in his last 12 fights. That was a win that kind of put Magdaleno on the map as far as making him known to a lot of boxing fans.

In the co-feature bout this Thursday, Adam Lopez (13-2, 6 KOs) will be battling Louie Coria (12-2, 7 KOs) in a 10 round bout. Lopez is coming off of a seventh-round premature stoppage loss Oscar Valdez (27-0, 21 KOs) last November in Las Vegas. Lopez surprisingly dropped Valdez in round two and fought well.

Other fights on the Magdaleno vs. Vincente card:

Bryan Lua (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Dan Murray (5-3, 0 KOs)
Gabriel Muratalla (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Fernando Robles (2-2, 0 KOs)
Eric Mondragon (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Mike Sanchez (6-0, 2 KOs)