Diego Magdaleno punishes Jimenez in first title chance
For the first time since turning professional in 2007, Diego Magdaleno heard the calls of “Champ” as he left the ring.
He liked the sound of that.
The Las Vegas super featherweight had waited more than three years for a shot at a title, and he didn’t waste it. Magdaleno totally dominated Marcos Jimenez to win the vacant NABF title with a fifth-round technical knockout Saturday night at Texas Station.
“It feels great,” Magdaleno said as the belt was placed around his waist. “I worked so hard for this. I’ve upped my game in every way, and I’m not going to stop here.”
Magdaleno (18-0) wasted no time taking charge before a sellout crowd of 1,505 as the Dallas Events Center hosted a boxing event for the first time since 2003. He deftly put his punches together, swarmed Jimenez and knocked him down with a left-right combination with 1:04 remaining in the first round.
Magdaleno continued to apply pressure, backing Jimenez into the corners and onto the ropes, not letting him extend his arms to fight back. For the few punches Jimenez landed, he absorbed several more.
“Usually I don’t hear the crowd,” Magdaleno said. “But this was different. The energy from the fans fired me up. But I stayed focused and stayed with the game plan.”
By the end of the fifth round, Jimenez (18-3) was clearly beaten and his corner wisely decided not to let him come out for the sixth. The celebration was on for the Magdaleno camp.
“I was ready for anything he tried,” Magdaleno said. “I had one of my best camps to prepare for this fight. The game plan was great, I stuck with it, and now I’ve got this,” pointing to the NABF belt.
Magdaleno said he would like to fight again as soon as possible, perhaps on Top Rank’s March 12 card at the MGM Grand Garden.
“I like to stay busy, so I’ll be in the gym,” he said. “Whoever they want me to fight, I’m ready to go.”
On the undercard, Magdaleno’s younger brother Jesse (2-0) dominated super bantamweight Cain Garcia, stopping him in the third round of their four-round bout.
Jesse Magdaleno showed no ring rust in his first fight since his pro debut Nov. 6. He landed combinations and never let Garcia (0-2) land a clean shot.
A left jab set up an overhand right to Garcia’s chin and sent him to the canvas two minutes into the third round. Garcia got to his feet, but referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight with 46 seconds left in the round.
“I felt real comfortable out there,” Jesse Magdaleno said. “He had a hard head, but once I started landing my combinations, I was more confident.
“I did everything I wanted to out there. My boxing, my footwork, everything felt great.”
Perhaps the most shocking result on the card was highly regarded junior welterweight prospect Jose Benavidez being taken the distance for the first time in his career. Fernando Rodriguez made him work in their six-round bout.
Benavidez improved to 10-0, but his knockout streak ended at nine as Rodriguez (5-2) hung tough and at times outpunched the 18-year-old from Phoenix. Benavidez won by unanimous decision, 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
