SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Former junior featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno is hoping a victory over his long-time friend Luis Coria will get his career back on track.

Magdaleno, who won his title with a decision victory over Nonito Donaire in 2016 in Las Vegas, is coming off consecutive defeats for the first time in his 29-3 (18 KOs) career, having been defeated by Raymond Ford in April 2023 and Brandon Figueroa 13 months on. 

He has not fought since, but is filled with belief that, at 33, there are still good days ahead. The southpaw boxes Coria at junior lightweight on Saturday in San Bernadino over 10 rounds.

“Of course, I still have a lot left to prove,” Magdaleno told BoxingScene. “Despite my last fight [stopped in nine by Figueroa], I was out for a while before that but I still have a lot to prove. I haven’t been in any big wars, but I’ve been taking care of myself and I feel I have a lot left to prove to the people and just to prove to myself. I want to be two-time, three-time world champion. That’s still a dream of mine and I still have those big dreams still to accomplish and like I said, those things I want to prove to myself, that I still have it, I still can do it. And I know I can.”

Coria and Magdaleno go back many years. Coria was up and coming when Magdaleno was flying, and while they have not sparred they’ve often trained alongside one another.

“I grew up with Coria. I know who he is. He’s a great fighter, a great come-forward fighter,” Magdaleno added. “He’s very good, he’s been around, he’s been in some wars already, he’s fought some good fighters and this should be a good fight between me and him. Great kid, though. Great kid.”

Coria is a seasoned pro with a record of 15-7 (7 KOs), but is highly thought of in the sport. He has had a hard road and been matched tough, and Magdaleno is blocking his path toward another big fight. Magdaleno also knows Coria is better than his record suggests.

“Most definitely,” the veteran admitted. “I don’t underestimate anybody. We’ve come here to fight and you’ve got two great Mexicans who put on a show each and every time and records are records, but he has good skills.”

Magdaleno insists he is well preserved, having lived the life. For years, he has been part of the Cleveland Clinic’s brain health study for fighters in Las Vegas and he has always stayed ready to fight.

“I don’t party, I don’t drink, I don’t do any of that kind of stuff. I’m a healthy fighter,” said the former champion. “I eat and drink healthy. And I like to take care of myself. I like to be in the gym, train and make sure that my brain and body works how it’s supposed to be working.”

But it’s nearly nine years since the Donaire fight, an evening that Magdaleno ranks as the best of his career.

“I’m looking to deliver the old Jessie Magdaleno, the Jessie Magdaleno people fell in love with when I fought Donaire and all those fighters before Donaire. I want people to remember that I still have that in me, that I still have that hunger in me to show what I’m all about,” he continued.

“The Donaire fight [was the best]. That’s a legend. I take my hat off to Nonito Donaire for letting me share the ring with him. That was something that was huge for me and it was so great and beating a world champion like him, it’s a night I’ll never forget.”

With that in mind, Magdaleno has no intention of becoming a stepping stone, of trading his name to fighters on their way up the ladder. He still harbours championship aspirations of his own.

“I feel like that’s what people want to do, they want to use me as leverage for them,” said Magdaleno. “But I’m no leverage. I’m no stepover. I’m no gatekeeper. I’m none of that. I’m a better fighter than that. Don’t underestimate me as I’ve had a couple of losses. I love boxing. I’ve been around boxing and training since the age of six. I grew up with great trainers, great fighters left and right and it’s something that I love. It’s in my blood line. I’ve got four nephews that box, and they’re going to be something special as well. It’s something that I don’t think is ever going to leave my side.”

What does he say to those who write him off, and who don’t share the same optimism for his immediate future in the ring, despite the accolades he has already achieved?

“I just laugh about it,” he smiled. “They’re going to be surprised when they see a 33-year-old Jessie Magdaleno still swinging away like when I was 18.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.