SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Jessie Magdaleno was emotional after his third-round stoppage over Luis Coria here at the Orange Pavilion on Saturday. He wasn't just celebrating the win, but also putting behind him the anguish that came before it.

Magdaleno, 30-3 (19 KOs), whose fight served as the co-feature on the ProBox TV telecast, had battled depression after losing two professional fights. He lost his title to Isaac Dogboe in 2018 and then, after four wins, fell to Raymond Ford in April 2023. That was followed by a knockout loss to Brandon Figueroa, marking the first-ever two-fight skid of Magdaleno’s career. 

“This win means a lot,” Magdaleno, a 33-year-old from Henderson, Nevada, told BoxingScene. “I am coming off two losses. I am overcoming a suicide [attempt] that happened to me two years ago. This victory means the world to me.

“Coming off two losses, it affected me a lot, especially coming off the Floyd Mayweather era where fighters wanted to protect their undefeated record,” Magdaleno said. “My first loss was when I lost the world title; after that, I lost to Raymond Ford. It was very difficult for me, because I thought I was done as a fighter and as a person.”

That led him to a dark place.

“My wife walked in on me when I had the gun in my mouth,” Magdaleno said. “I was ready to go. I had crazy thoughts and I should have never gotten to that point.”

Slowly but surely, Magdaleno reversed course on that rocky road to the brink. It has been almost 11 months since the Figueroa loss, and he seems to have found his footing – especially after Saturday’s results.

Magdaleno rocked Coria, 15-8 (7 KOs), in the first round, stunned him in the second and dropped him in the third. Coria, a 26-year-old from Perris, California, watched his corner call off the fight while he was headed back to it after the end of three. Magdaleno, overcome with emotion, ran to the corner and appeared to shed a tear as his head fell into his gloves. It might have seemed an overreaction or out of place based on the level of victory, but the win held more meaning to Magdaleno than most observers could ever know.

“Always believe in yourself. Always tell yourself you can do it,” Magdaleno said afterward. “Trust in God and just know you can get through it.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.