Jessie Magdaleno and Yenifel Vicente fight Thursday at the MGM Grand.
Jessie Magdaleno enters this fight with a 27-1 record that includes 18 knockouts. Magdaleno has won five of his last six fights, and he’s coming off an August win over Rafael Rivera. Magdaleno is coming off an impressive ninth round stoppage and has now finished two of his last three victories. Magdaleno is a 28-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’4” and has a 66-inch reach. Magdaleno has impressive power for a smaller fighter and has a come forward style with constant pressure and throws big combinations. Magdaleno throws every punch with a purpose and tries to land that haymaker to finish a fight, and this can lead to some defensive issues and hm exposing himself to a counter. However, outside of a loss to Isaac Dogboe, Magdaleno has yet to run into somebody who can make him pay for his aggressive style. This will be Magdaleno’s 19th career fight in Las Vegas, his birthplace.
Yenifel Vicente enters this fight with a 36-4-2 record that includes 28 knockouts. Vicente has won five of his last six fights, and he’s coming off an October win over Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya. Vicente is coming off an impressive fourth round knockout victory and will be fighting for the fourth time since 2019. Vicente is almost 34 years old, stands at 5’5”, has a 66-inch reach and an orthodox stance. Vicente is a pressure fighter with a busy style and doesn’t waste much time throwing punches and looking to sink his teeth into a bout. Vicente has some decent hand speed, good head movement and a right hand that can drop many opponents when landed cleanly. Vicente also has some toughness to him and has never been knocked out despite four career losses. This will be Vicente’s eighth career fight in Las Vegas.
This should be an interesting fight between two talented fighters with the same reach and some knockout power in both hands. Vicente has the experience and the bigger build to give him a punchers chance and he’ll be looking to sit on that right hand while timing a counter punch to Magdaleno’s aggressive approach. However, Magdaleno is the better boxer in this fight overall and puts his punches together much cleaner. Magdaleno does leave himself exposed a little too often for my taste, but I don’t think Vicente is the type of fighter who can make him pay.
Magdaleno wins this fight in a clear decision.