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Mark Magsayo is fresh off his WBC Featherweight Title upset win over Gary Russell Jr. He's been receiving praise from the entire boxing world for the unexpected victory, and Manny Pacquiao has now added in his voice as well.
Taking to Twitter, the former eight-division world champion congratulated his fellow countryman for his upset victory. 'PacMan' said:
"Congratulations, [@markmagsayo_MMM] on your first world championship! Thank you for bringing honor to our country by becoming the latest Filipino world boxing champion. Welcome to the club."
See Manny Pacquiao's Twitter post below:
The 43-year-old former professional boxer is the only individual to capture a title in eight different weight classes. The Filipino retired from boxing in September 2021, following a unanimous decision loss to short-notice replacement Yordenis Ugas.
The longtime senator has since turned his attention from boxing to politics. Pacquiao announced a run for president of the Philippines for their 2022 elections. However, based on his congratulations to Magasyo, he'll never entirely have his eyes off the ring.
Mark Magsayo ended boxing's longest title reign
The 26-year-old Mark Magsayo ended Gary Russell Jr.'s near seven-year reign this past weekend. Russell Jr. had been WBC Featherweight Champion since March 2015, capturing the title with a knockout win over Jhonny Gonzalez.
Despite admittedly going into the fight with a bad shoulder injury, Russell entered his sixth title defense as a massive favorite over the undefeated Magsayo. The 33-year-old had also been grieving going into the match, as his brother had recently passed away.
The Filipino was able to shock the boxing world in the featherweight encounter, bringing the heat to the champion. Despite injuries and personal issues, Russell Jr. stayed competitive and kept the fight close throughout.
In the end, Magasayo was declared the winner on the scorecards, winning a majority decision. In the process, he ended boxing's longest title reign and became the new WBC Featherweight Champion.
As of now, it remains to be seen who Mark Magsayo will face in his next. However, he has stated that he's open to a rematch with Gary Russell Jr. Fans can expect details of the new champion's plans to unfold in the weeks to come.
