Undefeated American halts Magsayo’s five-fight streak

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Mark Magsayo’s unbeaten two-year run has finally ended.

On Sept. 12, 2026 (Sept. 13 in the Philippines), the Filipino boxing superstar suffered a unanimous decision loss to American challenger Andres Cortes during the undercard of the Garcia-Benn main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Cortes’ clinical aggression produced a one-sided outcome, preserving his undefeated record, with all three ringside judges scoring the bout 97-93 in his favor.

Known for his counterpunching and high volume of jabs from a distance, Cortes tweaked his game plan against Magsayo and became the aggressor from the get-go.

The surprising adjustment caught Magsayo off guard as he failed to decipher Cortes’ opening strategy, leaving him behind on all scorecards through the first five rounds.

Cortes landed the more effective power punches and relied on his elite footwork to tag Magsayo with several turning right hooks.

Aside from that impressive go-to move, Cortes also pinned Magsayo against the ropes in the middle rounds and quickly took advantage every time the Filipino raised his guard.

Trapped in the pocket, Magsayo picked his poison, which was to wait for a huge opening to throw a massive counter uppercut.

However, the tactical Cortes didn’t give Magsayo any room to breathe, wisely backpedaling after landing a barrage of body shots.

Magsayo’s only bright spots came in the ninth and 10th rounds after hurting Cortes with desperate combinations as he aimed for a knockdown, but time wasn’t on his side as the American pugilist had already built a respectable lead following an inspired start.

The referee even gave Magsayo several windows of opportunity after initially ruling two knockdowns for Cortes, but both were overturned and ruled slips after separate official video reviews.

With the statement win, Cortes improved to 26-0 with 13 knockouts, while Magsayo fell to 29-3 with 19 knockouts.