By Jake Donovan

Jessie Magdaleno picked up his second straight knockout win, stopping Philippines' Rey Perez in the 7th round of their headlining battle Saturday evening at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.

A perfectly placed left hand to Perez' midsection put the Filipino challenger down and out at 2:51 of round seven. 

Magdaleno was in charge the entire time, but the threat of a knockout never surfaced until the actual body shot ending. The unbeaten southpaw from Las Vegas was patient in the early rounds, offering a healthy mix of boxing and aggression against his taller yet passive opponent. 

A cruise control-like fight through three rounds hit a few rough patches in a sloppy fourth round that saw both fighters slip to the canvas. Magdaleno sensed that his opponent - who took the fight on late notice - wasn't going to engage, thus taking the initiative to pick up the offensive attack.

The surge eventually led to the fight-ending result. Magdaleno was on the attack while Perez hid behind a high and tight defense. His arms were up just enough to expose his midsection area, with Magdaleno landing a well-placed looping hand underneath.

Perez rolled around on the canvas withering in pain, prompting the referee to halt the contest as he was issuing a mandatory eight count.

Magdanelo improves to 23-0 (17KOs) with the win. Each of his past two knockouts came at Celebrity Theatre in UniMas-televised headliners, both ending on a body shot.

Perez falls to 20-8 (5KOs) with the loss, his second straight. The 25-year old journeyman took the fight on less than a week's notice, filling in for countryman Edward Mansito who was instead dispatched to face bantamweight contender Alberto Guevara on this same evening in Mexico. 

UNDERCARD

Unbeaten featherweight prospect Carlos Castro remains unbeaten but was forced to work harder than expected in scoring a six-round decision over Rafael Reyes in their co-feature battle.

Scores of 59-55 (twice) and 60-54 were merely reflective of Castro hailing from the Phoenix area and not at all indicative of the action that took place in the ring. 

Castro had Reyes hurt at the end of round one and was able to produce similar damage in round two. His blatant disregard for defense, however, allowed his journeyman opponent to punch his way back into the fight. 

Reyes tagged Castro at an alarming rate at several points in rounds three and four, causing the local prospect to pick up the pace down the stretch. To his credit, Castro closed strong, winning rounds five and six in convincing fashion to avoid what would have been a massive upset loss. 

Scores aside, the night provided the type of stiff test that every prospect should experience on the way up. Whether or not Castro - who turns 22 in March - learns from it can only be revealed in future fights. For now, he leaves with his record now at 15-0 (6KOs). 

Reyes was valiant in defeat, but his record dipping to .500 level at 6-6 (6KOs). The loss was his fifth straight.

Local (Glendale, Ariz.) lightweight Trevor McCumby made the televised highlight reel in scoring a 2nd round knockout of overmatched Jamar Freeman (9-8, 1KOs), who has now lost four straight. McCumby (22-0, 17KOs) scored knockdowns in rounds one and two. The latter came courtesy of an uppercut which prompted the stoppage at 1:38 of round two. 

All bouts and highlights aired live on UniMas in the United States. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox