By: Hans Themistode
After taking almost one year off, former WBO Super Bantamweight champion Jessie Magdaleno (25-1, 18 KOs) makes his return to the ring. In his last outing he was stopped in the 11th round by Isaac Dogboe in a contest that many believed he would win handily.
Dogboe was an unknown fighter to many of the boxing public but quickly showed his abilities. Early on it seemed as though Magdaleno was on his way to an easy victory as he floored his man in the opening round. Dogboe managed to regain his composure and drop Magdaleno in the fifth round and again in the 11th before he was ultimately stopped.
The former champion has all of the skills in the world but has been inactive in recent years. He has fought once in both 2017 and 2018. He is looking to get himself back into the championship mix as he takes on Rico Ramos (30-5, 14 KOs) at The Hanger, Costa Mesa in California this Saturday night.
Ramos will be no rush over as he has won his past six contests. He too is looking to build his own name and a win over a former champion in Jessie Magdaleno will instantly make him a contender in the division.
At just age 27 Magdaleno is in the prime of his career and still has plenty of time to once again fight for a world title. Make no mistake about it if he picks up yet another loss this upcoming Saturday it would mark the end of his tenure as a true championship caliber fighter.
Magdaleno doesn’t just need to win he also is looking to make a statement. Ramos has not been stopped since his 2015 bout against Claudio Marrero. It was also the last time he tasted defeat. If Magdaleno is able to not only put an end to Ramos six fight win streak but also stop him in the process then he can begin to position himself for a big fight.
Speaking of a big fight, Kubrat Pulev (26-1, 13 KOs) missed an opportunity of a lifetime when he was scheduled to take on current unified champion Anthony Joshua in 2017 at the Wembley Stadium.
Unfortunately for Pulev he suffered a pectoral muscle in training camp and was forced to withdraw. Once he was healthy enough to return Pulev took on Hughie Fury who is the cousin of Lineal champion Tyson Fury. Pulev proved to be too much as he won a unanimous decision. The Heavyweight contender will be looking to continue his dominant run when he takes on Bogdan Dinu (18-1, 14 KOs).
In his last contest Dinu was stopped in the fourth round Jarrell Miller. Dinu needs this victory as he has never competed for a world title in his career. A win over former title challenger Kubrat Pulev would vault him up the rankings. A loss for Pulev would be devastating at this point in his career. Outside of his lone defeat to former long reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko, Pulev has won six straight bouts. He has picked up victories against notable names such as Dereck Chisora, Samuel Peters and Kevin Johnson. He will have to not just defeat Dinu but do so in impressive fashion.
Both Kubrat Pulev and Jessie Magdaleno are in need of big victories to keep their names in the championship mix. Their opponents however are looking to upset the applecart and become instant contenders themselves.