Top Rank will continue to bring boxing "back" with the second Las Vegas fight card of the week on Thursday. Former WBO junior featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno will headline the card from the MGM Grand Conference Center, taking on Yenifel Vicente in a junior lightweight clash on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
While the fight between Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KO) and Vicente (36-4-2, 28 KO) doesn't match the long odds of the Tuesday Top Rank return between Shakur Stevenson and Felix Caraballo, it still is a fight with a clear favorite.
Magdaleno beat Nonito Donaire in November 2016 to capture the WBO title at 122 pounds and successfully defended the title against Adeilson dos Santos. Magdaleno went to war with Isaac Dogboe in April 2018 in an entertaining fight that ended with Magdaleno being stopped in Round 11, losing his championship in the process.
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In 2019, he found footing in the 126-pound division, beating Rico Ramos and Rafael Rivera. Those were solid enough wins, but now Magdaleno is taking a stay-busy fight against Vicente to remain in position as a title contender, even if the two men are fighting at 128 pounds to save an unnecessary two-pound weight cut for their clash.
Dominican-born Vicente has some power, but as proven in losses to Chris Avalos, Juan Rodriguez, Eric Hunter and Tramaine Williams, he is probably two steps below Magdaleno in talent and three steps below in accomplishments.
Vicente has never been stopped and has knocked out nearly two-thirds of his opponents in his career, giving him the proverbial "puncher's chance" heading in with Magdeleno. He most recently rebounded from a decision loss to Williams by knocking out Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya.
In the co-main event, Adam Lopez will take on Luis Coria in a featherweight contest. Lopez is coming off the first TKO loss of his career at the hands of Oscar Valdez and start another winning streak. He had won five straight before the loss to Lopez in November 2019. Coria has won three straight by knockout, but all against fighters with sub-.500 records.
The night will also see some featured bouts in Bryan Lua vs. Dan Murray at lightweight as well as Eric Mondragon vs. Mike Danny Sanchez also at lightweight. Lua is a fresh-faced prospect at 5-0 with 2 knockouts. Murray is 5-3 and coming off a technical decision loss in February.
Magdaleno vs. Vicente card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
Jessie Magdeleno -900 | Yenifel Vicente +600 | Junior lightweight |
Adam Lopez -1100 | Luis Coria +700 | Featherweight |
Bryan Lua | Dan Murray | Lightweight |
Eric Mondragon | Mike Danny Sanchez | Lightweight |
Gabriel Muratalla | Fernando Robles | Bantamweight |
Prediction
These Top Rank cards have not been high on dramatic matchmaking. Magdaleno is better than everyone who has beat Vicente, and is clearly better than Vicente. There is, of course, the possibility Vicente finds a clean punch and scores a shocking knockout, but that is a possibility in every fight. The reality is the reality. Magdaleno is a title contender in waiting, and Vicente is there to be a body. The real question is: Will Magdaleno score a knockout? The extra weight, the weird conditions in the world and Vicente having not been stopped point to that maybe being a tall task. That said, Jessie Magdaleno via TKO6
