Did Jessie Magdaleno do enough to earn a world title shot?

Thursday’s Top Rank Boxing card offered significantly more competitive fights than Tuesday’s return to action in Las Vegas. With the exception of a first-round KO, all of the fights were packed with action, front to back. That was even in the case with the main event until it was halted as a result of numerous low blows.

There was a lot to be gleaned from the action, which could have implications on the top-10s in several different divisions. Steve Kim and Cameron Wolfe break down the biggest questions that Thursday night’s show generated.

Is Jessie Magdaleno back into the title picture after Thursday? Whom should he face next?

Kim: Magdaleno is ranked No. 1 by the WBC, whose title is held by Gary Russell Jr., and No. 4 by the WBO, which has the talented Shakur Stevenson as its belt holder. So one way or another, he’s getting a title shot. Magdaleno will either become Russell’s mandatory, or if Stevenson decides to cement his move up to 130, Magdaleno could conceivably be moved into a shot at a vacant title relatively quickly.

Magdaleno did not have a great night against Yenifel Vicente. Though he flashed some of his skills, he was on his heels for much of the bout. He was looking for counter-punching opportunities, which led to two knockdowns, but too many other times he seemed content to make Vicente miss, and then get into a clinch.

Russell’s style is much different than what Magdaleno faced Thursday. Magdaleno will need a much more aggressive strategy if he hopes to defeat the talented southpaw from Washington D.C.

Wolfe: Yes, he deserves a title shot. It’s a shame that Vicente’s dirty tactics (four low blows) took some of the focus off of Magdaleno. His two knockdowns of Vicente were pretty displays of boxing, and he’s now on a three-fight win streak following his first pro loss to Isaac Dogboe two years ago. Magdaleno has to learn how to handle bully opponents and finish lesser competition, but he was already the WBC’s No. 1 contender and the WBO’s No. 4 contender. He did nothing to hurt that Thursday.

Magdaleno called out Russell after the fight, and let’s give him what he asked for in his next bout. I’m not sure Magdaleno can win that fight, but he belongs in the ring with Russell in what could be a fun matchup of southpaws with compatible styles. If not Russell, I’d like to see Magdaleno try to avenge his only loss against Dogboe. That was a fun fight and maybe Magdaleno has learned enough to get some revenge. It wouldn’t be a good idea for him to target Stevenson, though.

Did Adam Lopez graduate from prospect to contender?

Kim: What Lopez showed is that he’s a good, young prospect. He got all he could handle from the determined Louie Coria, who understood that neither could afford another loss so early in their careers without consequence. But while Lopez gutted out a tough 10-round majority decision, he paid a heavy price, as both of his eyes were bruised and swollen. This was the type of honest-to-goodness fight that we unfortunately don’t see enough off in modern-day boxing: two guys who have talent — and have already lost — matched against each other instead of building up their records with empty calories. In this instance, regardless of the result, both Lopez and Coria gained something.

Coria showed he is still very serviceable and makes for good TV. He earned more assignments off of this effort Thursday. As for Lopez, he admitted himself that he made mistakes tactically, and that he’s still just 24 years old with only 16 bouts under his belt. It looks as if Lopez will consistently be involved in entertaining fights, but he’s not a great puncher and you wonder if he’s slick enough to make up for it at the upper levels of the featherweight division.

Wolfe: Not quite yet. It was a very entertaining fight against a resilient Coria, who exposed a bunch of defensive holes in Lopez’s game, shown by Lopez’s two swollen eyes at the end of the fight. Lopez looked better in the Oscar Valdez loss in November than he did Thursday. The close win over Coria will make Lopez better, but he needs to improve at creating distance to use his strengths as a boxer more consistently. He let Coria make it his fight too easily at times, and that will get him beat against top-tier fighters.

Lopez’s jab is impressive, and he showed an ability to adjust Thursday, but I’d like to see him get a few more fighters of this caliber before we consider him a contender to fight for a title again. Heck, I’d like to see a rematch against Coria to see if he can learn some lessons and win more convincingly.

Even in defeat, did Coria earn another big opportunity?

Kim: Coria showed that he’s a young fighter who doesn’t simply fill the role of a walkover opponent. Coming into this bout, he already had two losses in 14 fights, which in today’s boxing world typically doom someone to being a perennial B-side — the guy who is just brought in by matchmakers to lose to undefeated prospects. But Thursday, despite the loss, Coria showed that he’s a game fighter who brings a TV-friendly style to the table.

He pushed Lopez to the very edge and Coria could’ve gotten the nod, showing not only a solid offensive attack, but a good chin that allowed him to turn the tide in the late rounds after getting outboxed in the middle rounds. Nowadays, young fighters are often overprotected, but Coria is still only 21, and tell me you wouldn’t want to see him again?

Wolfe: Coria definitely earned another shot on a big platform against Lopez. You could even make the argument that he won the fight, or at least a draw, and I wouldn’t argue with you. His style will definitely appeal to fans and matchmakers who want entertaining fights, and that could earn Coria another big opportunity, even if it’s against a superior opponent. Coria’s game is more brawler than boxer, shown by his lack of throwing a jab and defending against one. But like Lopez did in his loss to Valdez, Coria earned some fans despite the defeat. I’d like to see him on another one of these Top Rank cards this summer.

Who impressed you the most Thursday

Kim: Gabriel Muratalla improved to 3-0 (3 KOs) by stopping Fernando Robles in the first round. Muratalla was breaking down Robles quickly with a consistent body attack, and then it was an overhand right that sent Robles down. The fight was then waved off quickly.

Now, who knows where Muratalla goes from here, but the point here is that when you have this type of platform that you otherwise wouldn’t have, it’s imperative that you leave an impression on the audience. Yes, a win is a win, but how you win, in this sport, certainly matters more than most others. Muratalla, who is a teacher, has an interesting backstory and on this night, at the very least had you a bit curious about his future in the ring.

Wolfe: I’ll go a little bit off-path here and select a loser — Coria. A heavy underdog coming into the fight, Coria was neck-and-neck with Lopez in what was clearly the fight of the night. Coria made himself some future money in the loss with his tenacity and effort. His skill set is a bit limited, but he double-downed on his brawler style against a well-respected Lopez. I can picture fans yelling in excitement if they were watching that fight live. I came in expecting a Lopez knockout and left wanting to see a rematch.

What was the biggest moment of the night?

Kim: It’s always fun when you see a round with each fighter hitting the deck, and that’s precisely what happened with Eric Mondragon and Mike Sanchez trading knockdowns in the first round. First, it was Sanchez landing an uppercut from his southpaw stance to the incoming Mondragon.

Not too long afterward, Mondragon returned the favor as he sent Sanchez to the canvas with a short chopping right hand. What could’ve been for Sanchez a 10-8 round, which are huge in four-round fights, instead became a 10-10 round. That’s a huge swing, and it mattered in the end, as the rest of the fight was on relatively even terms and ended up being a majority draw.

Wolfe: It was a strong card in terms of matchmaking, with the entertaining Lopez-Coria bout and a first-round double knockdown, but how often do you see a three-point deduction round and four penalized low blows leading to a disqualification on national TV?

A wild fourth round with two low blows and late punch penalties in an otherwise one-sided main event qualifies as the eye-opening moment of the night for me. Then Vicente did it again in Round 10 with two more punches below the belt. Vicente dirtied up the fight with his low blows, creating a lot of tension, and it appeared to affect Magdaleno, who looked to be headed for a knockout victory before what happened in the fourth.

Vicente’s dirty tactics might have saved him from being a highlight on Magdaleno’s résumé, but it should cost him any chance to fight on a big stage again. It changed the conversation around what was a good, clean card.