Mark Magsayo vs. Andres Cortes to open Garcia-Benn card in Las Vegas
Former featherweight world champion Mark Magsayo will look to continue his climb in a new weight class when he faces unbeaten Las Vegas native Andres “Savage” Cortes in a 10-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Sept. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Magsayo-Cortes will open the main card of a blockbuster event headlined by the welterweight showdown between reigning champion Ryan Garcia and British star Conor Benn.
In the co-feature, Zuffa Boxing and Ring cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia will face two-time world champion Noel Mikaelian.
The full Garcia-Benn card will stream exclusively on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers in markets worldwide outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the event will be available through DAZN pay-per-view.
Magsayo (29-2, 19 KOs), a native of Bohol province in the Philippines, won the WBC featherweight title in 2022 with a majority decision over longtime champion and U.S. Olympian Gary Russell Jr.
The 31-year-old has since moved up in weight and enters the Cortes fight riding a five-bout winning streak. Magsayo most recently stopped Feargal McCrory in the fifth round at Zuffa Boxing 05 in April.
Cortes (25-0, 13 KOs) also competed on that card, headlining the event with a unanimous decision victory over Eridson Garcia.
“I’ve waited for a night like this my whole career. I signed with Zuffa to be on the biggest shows,” Magsayo said. “Andres Cortes called me out, and I answered. He won’t have his ‘0’ after I get done with him.”
Both Magsayo and the 29-year-old Cortes will be fighting in the city where they currently live, though Cortes has lived there since he was a child.
“This is my opportunity to show the world what I can do. I’m going to destroy Mark Magsayo on September 12,” Cortes said. “Growing up in the gyms in Las Vegas, I dreamed of fighting on a platform like this in front of my people. The time has come.”
The preliminary portion of the card will also feature one of boxing’s more unusual young heavyweight prospects.
Da’Mazion Vanhouter (12-0, 9 KOs), just 21 years old, will face 6-foot-8 knockout puncher Raphael Akpejiori (19-3, 18 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout.
Vanhouter began his professional career as a 17-year-old super welterweight in 2022 before undergoing a dramatic physical transformation. After making stops at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, Vanhouter has settled into the heavyweight division and has stopped four of his five opponents in the opening round since moving up.
In his most recent appearance in May, Vanhouter weighed 228½ pounds and knocked out Raphael Murphy just 1:06 into the opening round.
Akpejiori, meanwhile, brings significantly more experience and punching power into the matchup, with 18 knockouts among his 19 professional victories.
Tickets for the Sept. 12 event are on sale now through AXS.com.
Additional undercard bouts and further event details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.