Pedraza, Magdaleno Reportedly Set For June Top Rank Bouts

By Fight Sports May 19, 2020

Bob Arum has been adamant that he will be bringing in as many top stars as he can when Top Rank returns to action. If everything goes according to plan, previously booked fighters will be back in business.

According to Boxing Scene, Jessie Magdaleno and Jose Pedraza will be competing in events scheduled for June.

Pedraza (26-3) was supposed to face Javier Molina in May in California. On the Jose Ramirez-Viktor Postol card, the bout was postponed due to the coronavirus. 2-2 in his last four fights, Pedraza beat Raymundo Beltran in August 2018 for the WBO Lightweight Title before losing it to Vasiliy Lomachenko in December of that year. He rebounded with a TKO win over Antonio Lozada Jr. before losing to Jose Zepeda in September.

Magdaleno (27-1) was supposed to fight back in March against Sakaria Lukas. The co-main event under the Shakur Stevenson-Miguel Marriaga March 14 fight inside Madison Square Garden was postponed as well due to the coronavirus. Magdaleno made his debut in 2010 and won the WBO Junior-Featherweight Title back in 2016 against Nonito Donaire. He lost the title to Isaac Dogboe in 2018 but rebounded with wins over Rico Ramos and Rafael Rivera.

The fight with Rivera was back in August, giving him enough time to prepare for a future bout, and then some.

“When Jessie was going to fight in New York his weight was good and he was excited to fight, so he was very disappointed when the card was called off,” Magdaleno’s manager Frank Espinoza stated to Boxing Scene. “Jessie is very anxious to get back in the ring. He wants to start making some noise this year. He’s excited about the fight coming up and hopefully he can fight for a title. He is (ranked) No. 1 (at featherweight) by the WBC.”

The bouts are looking to be held in an MGM property in Nevada. While not guaranteed, they may appear on separate nights, June 16 and 25. The hope is that the athletic commission untightens its grip when it comes to combat sports in the area.

Rumored for Top Rank’s return on June 9 is Shakur Stevenson v. Rafael Rivera for the former’s WBO Featherweight Title.