By Dan Ambrose: Mark Magsayo and his manager Sean Gibbons blew their stacks following their 12 round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Brandon Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) on Saturday night at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Gibbons felt that Magsayo (24-2, 16 KOs) shouldn’t have been penalized twice for holding by referee Thomas Taylor in rounds eight and eleven. According to Gibbons, Magsayo was fighting on the inside Figueroa and should have never been penalized.
Additionally, Gibbons was irate over the wide scoring by the three judges, as he viewed it as a draw at 114-114 or 115-113. The three judges scored it as follows: 117-109, 117-109, and 118-108.
Gibbons didn’t say whether he was going to protest the officiating to the California Commission to try and get a rematch ordered with Figueroa. If not, Figueroa will surely move on and look to challenge WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas next for his title.
Many of the rounds were razor close, making it impossible to pick between Magsayo & Figueroa. The fact that the judges had it wide in Figueroa’s favor showed what Magsayo was up against.
Gibbons & Magsayo go off
“The man [Magsayo] fought in San Antonio and lost a very close disputed [decision against Rey Vargas], and I thought he won,” said Magsayo’s manager Sean Gibbons to Fight Hub TV. “What we saw tonight was pathetic.
“You cannot not, no matter how you add it up, score rounds four to twelve for Brandon Figueroa. You just can’t do it, and also, I want to know why the state of California changed one of our judges.
“On Monday, they changed one of our judges. They changed Rudy Baragon. Why? Because that one guy scored it 117-109? Pathetic. This man [Magsayo] fought his a**off. Everybody saw the fight.
“Even with the point deductions, it could have been 115-113 or 114-114, but 117-109? No,” said an irate Gibbons.
“I did my best in the ring. That was a close fight for me,” said Magsayo. “He just punched me on the inside, but I hit him clearly. I lost because of the two deductions. We’re the same holding.”
“He felt that the referee was on him,” said Gibbons. “He felt like the referee was working Figueroa’s corner too. It was horrible.”
“I felt like the referee was one-sided. That’s okay,” said Magsayo. “Figueroa was holding me too. We’re holding together.”
“They’re both holding here and they’re fighting. It’s called boxing. It’s technical s**t, you’re working,” said an angry Gibbons. “Holding is holding.”
