Mark Magsayo and Andres Cortes to open Garcia vs Benn main card

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 19: Mark Magsayo celebrates a unanimous decision win over Jorge Mata during the WBC Continental Americas super featherweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images Zuffa Boxing revealed today that former featherweight champion Mark Magsayo and undefeated lightweight Andres Cortes, who shared a card in April, will meet in the main card opener for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn on September 12th. “Magnifico” Magsayo (29-2, 19 KO) has stayed largely under the radar since losing his belt, which he took from a one-armed Gary Russell Jr in 2022, in his first defense against Rey Vargas. He’s gone 5-0 in that span, bouncing between 130 and 135 while picking up wins over the likes of Eduardo Ramirez, Jorge Mata, and most recently Feargal McCrory in his Zuffa debut. Cortes (25-0, 13 KO), himself a super featherweight bumped up by Zuffa’s weird insistence on excluding in-betweener classes, has pursued contention with a sort of Achilles-and-the-Tortoise approach. He’s fought and beaten a number of good-to-pretty-solid guys throughout his run, including Xavier Martinez in 2023, Abraham Nova a year later, and Eridson Garcia in that same April main event. Nice little “sh*t or get off the pot” matchup that should put the winner within spitting distance of a title shot. “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.” “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.” 21-year-old heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter (12-0, 9 KO) also sees action against Raphael Akpejiori (19-3, 18 KO), whom you may recall from nigh-instantaneous knockout losses to Arslanbek Makhmudov and Stephan Shaw.

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Lightweight contenders will open the show on September 12th