Former WBC featherweight champion Mark Magsayo will face unbeaten Andres Cortes in a 10-round lightweight bout on 12 September at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena. The fight opens the main card of Ryan Garcia’s welterweight clash against Conor Benn.
Both fighters are signed to Zuffa Boxing and feature on one of the promotion’s primary events of the year. Magsayo brings an established record of 29 wins and two defeats into the ring, with 19 of those victories coming by way of knockout. The 31-year-old former titleholder spent the majority of his career competing at featherweight, where he achieved his career-defining victory over Gary Russell Jr to claim the WBC championship in January 2022. His reign proved brief, losing the strap to Rey Vargas six months later.
Following that setback, Magsayo embarked on a division climb, stepping up through junior lightweight before officially making the transition to the 135-pound weight class. He made an impression in his previous fight, earning a clear victory over Feargal McCrory in his lightweight debut.
Cortes enters the contest with an unblemished record of 25 wins and zero defeats, including 13 knockout victories. The 29-year-old previously competed under the Top Rank banner before joining the Zuffa Boxing roster. Cortes returned to action in April, claiming a win over Eridson Garcia on a Zuffa card. However, demanding outings against Garcia and Abraham Nova highlighted areas of vulnerability, leaving him seeking a performance to elevate his standing beyond that of a fringe contender.
Facing Magsayo provides Cortes with a high-profile platform against an opponent possessing elite credentials. A victory for Cortes would offer the breakthrough win needed to climb the rankings, whereas Magsayo seeks to build momentum toward a secondary title run in a third weight class.
The matchup was initially reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal on 5 August before receiving formal confirmation from promoters. The event at T-Mobile Arena features Ryan Garcia taking on Conor Benn in a marquee welterweight main event, alongside Jai Opetaia defending against Noel Mikaelian in the cruiserweight co-feature.
