Brandon Figueroa Overcomes Sluggish Start, Earns One-Punch, Ninth-Round Knockout Over Jessie Magdaleno

Brandon Figueroa turned an unforgettable fight into a highlight-reel moment in an instant.
A nasty left body forced Jessie Magdaleno to the canvas late in the ninth round. Referee Allen Huggins scored a ten count to end the fight at 2:59 of the ninth round Saturday evening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Figueroa played for house money, as his interim WBC featherweight title was not at stake. Magdaleno missed weight by 2.6 pounds during Friday’s official weigh-in and was ineligible for a second belt.
It didn’t stop the WBO 122-pound title holder from slowing down Figueroa’s usually high-octane attack. The Las Vegas native used consistent movement to discourage his favorite opponent and slow him to a crawl. Figueroa looked sluggish in his first fight since defeating Mark Magsayo last March.
Magdaleno was less active. He had not fought since losing to Ray Ford last April 8 in San Antonio. The length of the 13-month layoff was not significant, although he did have an early panic attack. A clash of heads left Magdaleno with a cut over his left eye late in the round.
Javier Capetillo confirmed his reputation as a top cutter, as the wound did not become a factor in the fight. Magdaleno continued with his intended game plan, while Figueroa did his best to force an inside battle.
Figueroa was issued a harsh warning late in the fourth round when a right uppercut landed below the belt. Magdaleno fell to his knees in pain and asked for time to recover.
Another warning was given to Figueroa in the fifth round for a head lead. The Texan southpaw questioned the umpire’s call but did his best not to let it interfere with his performance.
Figueroa drove Magdaleno to the ropes and let go of his hands late in the sixth round. The crowd in attendance was given reason to cheer for the first time in this fight. The momentum shift was short-lived, however, as the action slowed again in the middle rounds.
Another sequence along the ropes saw Figueroa dig a dead body late in the ninth round. Magdaleno threatened to withdraw from the round. However, he left his right side exposed enough for Figueroa to drive home a left under his elbow. Magdaleno soon hit the stage and passed out in pain as he was given a total of ten.
One knockout erased Figueroa’s most ineffective offense of the night. He landed 129 of 470 total punches, surpassing Magdaleno (115-of-317) in both categories. However, Magdaleno connected with a higher percentage, 36.3% compared to Figueroa’s 27.5%.
Magdaleno also landed 92-of-252 power shots (36.5%), and was more accurate than Figueroa (118-of-370, 31.2%). He also connected on some body shots (27 to 25).
Only important in the end and it resulted in the second consecutive loss for Magdaleno (29-3, 18 knockouts). His last victory came in May 2022, the only tail of a four-fight winning streak. Magdaleno previously held the WBO 122-pound title, when he dethroned future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire in November 2016. His reign ended in April 2018 with a loss to then-undefeated Isaac Dogboe.
Figueroa, The Ring’s No. 5-rated featherweight, improved to 25-1-1 (19 knockouts). He previously held the second WBA 122-pound title and the WBC heavyweight belt. He lost the title to Stephen Fulton in their epic November 2021 rematch in Las Vegas. Only three fights have followed, although he continues to be challenged by WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs).
Figueroa-Magdaleno was part of a four-fight PPV broadcast, headlined by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Jaime Munguia Ring/undisputed 168-pound champion.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.