Mark Magsayo appreciates all that Freddie Roach has done to enhance his career in Magsayo’s past five fights.
The Filipino fighter won the WBC featherweight title with Roach as his head coach and became one of the most fan-friendly boxers in the sport. Ultimately, though, Magsayo feels more comfortable with Marvin Somodio, Roach’s longtime assistant, as his head trainer.
The 27-year-old Magsayo therefore has moved his training camp from the International Boxing Hall of Fame coach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California to nearby Brickhouse Boxing Club in Burbank for his upcoming fight against Brandon Figueroa.
“First, I would like to thank Wild Card and Freddie for the lessons [I learned],” Magsayo said during a virtual press conference Wednesday. “I needed to [better] communicate, because Marvin has been there since I [had] four, five fights. And our chemistry in the training [is good], and he studies my opponents. I like Marvin’s technique of training. I like Marvin Zamodio. … Marvin is a great trainer.”
Somodio has worked with Magsayo in each of his past five fights, too.
In addition to the chemistry they’ve established, Somodio and Magsayo speak the same dialect, which makes relaying instructions in his corner during fights a smoother process. Magsayo speaks English as well, but he is confident that better communication with his head trainer will make a difference.
“Marvin’s been there since the very first fight that Mark came to the United States with Rigoberto Hermosillo,” Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, stated during the abovementioned press conference. “Marvin assisted with Freddie constantly. And, you know, sometimes you feel like you just need something fresher, newer, just something different. And not that you’re getting something completely different, because Marvin was there.
“But they relate more. They’re Filipino. They speak the same dialect. And he just felt like he needed a change. He needed a new gym. He just needed to try something new. And, you know, like I said, nothing against Freddie, nothing against Wild Card, but sometimes you wanna try something new, let Marvin lead, be the lead trainer. And we’re gonna see the results. I think we’ll see very good results on March 4th.”
Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, and Magsayo (24-1, 16 KOs), who resides in Valencia, California, will fight for the WBC interim featherweight title. Their 12-round, 126-pound championship match is the main event of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” tripleheader from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.