Jessie Magdaleno wins ugly fight over Yenifel Vicente

Former junior featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno won by disqualification over foul prone Yenifel Vicente at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV Thursday night. The always exciting Magdaleno started fast, firing a combinations seconds after the bell rang. Southpaw Magdaleno went to the body and sent Vicente to the canvas with a whistling right hook. Vicente got up and appeared OK.

Magdaleno,28, popped jabs in round two. Would he test Vicente’s chin again? He landed a left but Vicente took it well. Vicente wasn’t fighting the fight many though he would. The thinking he was he’d take the fight to Magdaleno. Vicente connected with left hook in round three. The faster Magdaleno bobbed and weaved and looked to counter.

Vicente tried to up the ante in round three. He landed a low blow that hurt Magdaleno, and, as Magdaleno turned away grimacing, Vicente fired a right that landed on Magdaleno’s forehead. Magdaleno went down.

Referee Robert Byrd deducted two points from Vicente. The round continued. Vicente fired two right hands that landed. Byrd stopped the action and took a third point away from Vicente for another low blow. Vicente was in full stalk mode in round five.

Magdaleno 28-1, 18 KOs) was boxing, then fired a quick right hook that put Vicente (36-5, 28 KOs) on his knees. The Dominican Republic native got up with a sly grin on his face.

In round six, Vicente landed another right, but ate a three-punch combination. Vicente was trying to set up his only chance for victory, his right, but Magdaleno peppered him with shots. He did land a few of them in round eight. Magdaleno, who lost his title in 2018 to Issac Dogboe, was boxing well, but that right hand was definitely on his mind.

Magdaleno beat Vicente to the punch in round nine. In the 1oth and final round, Vicente landed another low blow (I had lost count how many). Magdaleno go up talking to Vicente. Seconds later, after another couple of low blows, Byrd disqualified Vicente.

“He was a dirty fighter,” said Magdaleno. “His way was to fight dirty, and hit me low.”

In the best fight of the nigh, featherweights Adam Lopez and Louie Coria battled hard for 10 rounds with Lopez coming out on top by majority decision. Scores were 95-95, and 96-94 twice. Coria was relentless in the opening rounds, strafing a surprised Lopez with numerous blows. Lopez (15-2, 6 KOs) did better in the middle rounds, boxing smartly and scoring points with combinations. Cori (12-3, 7 KOs) rallied late, but Lopez did enough to gain the victory on two judges’ scorecards. A draw would have been fine.

“That was the hardest fight of my career,” said Lopez.