Photos by Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Filipino Mark Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) defeated Gary Russell Jr. (31-2, 18 KOs) by majority decision, to become the new World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title, this Saturday, at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The scores were 114-114 and 115-113 twice.

In round four 33 year old southpaw Gary threw a short right, visibly winced in pain, and from then on relied exclusively on his left to fight on, defend and fend off the punches of the 26 year old Mark, who`s a protégée of Manny Pacquiao. Gary fought virtually one handed for eight rounds, using his guile and ring generalship, weathering an onslaught in the tenth, losing the title he won in 2015, with a fourth round KO of Jhonny Gonzalez. It was his sixth defence of the WBC, and prior to this he hadn`t fought in almost two years. The only other boxer to defeat him as a professional was Vasiliy Lomachenko by majority decision in 2014.

Mark, who`s trained by Freddie Roach outlanded the hampered Gary by 150 to 69 punches. There`s no return clause in their contract, but Gary is hoping for a rematch.

This was some of what both warriors said at the end of the fight:

“This is a dream come true for me. It was what I dreamed of since I was a child. I am so proud to be the new champion. Thank you to all Filipino fans for your support.

“Yeah, I know I hurt him in the third round. I hit him accurately and that’s why he was injured. I knew how to take advantage of it since he was left using only one hand. This was my chance, and my coach told me to go forward using good combinations. He told me, ‘this is your chance to become a champion.’ And now I am a champion!

“I think I tore a tendon in my right shoulder. This is what true champions do. I wanted to show my superiority in the ring beyond the injury.

“I came from an inactivity of almost two years. I was looking forward to competing in the ring again. I got injured training almost two weeks ago. I refused to postpone the fight and believed in my ability. I feel like I won the fight, to be honest.”