While McCrory remained the aggressor, his pressure didn’t rattle the Filipino star. Magsayo looked comfortable fighting off the back foot within the second, finding a house for 3 consecutive hooks and a pointy lead right. By the third round, Magsayo’s defensive rhythm was locked in, allowing him to slide the vast majority of McCrory’s volume while landing a punishing right hand midway through the session.
The fourth round saw Magsayo widen the lead significantly. He connected on a full four-punch combination and later lured McCrory right into a stinging left hook to the liver. A Magsayo right hand with 35 seconds left within the round sent McCrory stumbling. Though the Irishman tried to trade within the closing moments, he simply absorbed more clean punishment.
Concerned for his fighter’s safety, McCrory’s trainer issued a final warning between rounds. Magsayo wasted no time within the fifth, landing heavy shots immediately and forcing the corner to step onto the canvas just 21 seconds in. McCrory reacted with a scream of frustration, however the intervention spared him from unnecessary trauma.
Magsayo improves to 29-2 with 19 KOs. Since losing his WBC featherweight title to Rey Vargas and dropping a subsequent decision to Brandon Figueroa, he has found a second wind in the upper weight classes.
“Big difference,” the 30-year-old Magsayo noted regarding his move up in weight. “The burden, the training camp, the sparring, all the things. I’m strong, I’m powerful on this division.”
For McCrory, the loss moves his record to 17-2. It marks his second defeat in three outings, following an eighth-round stoppage against Lamont Roach Jnr in mid-2024.