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Ryan “Flash” Garcia Does It Again and Linares Wins by KO in Anaheim

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Ryan “the Flash” Garcia needed just over a minute to erase Nicaragua’s Francisco Fonseca by knockout and erase any doubt that he’s one of the top lightweights in the world on Friday.

It sets up a showdown with a former three-division world champion this summer.

Garcia’s (20-0, 17 KOs) first round knockout win over the much respected Fonseca (25-3-2, 19 KOs) to retain the WBC Silver lightweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, sets up a match with Venezuelan great Jorge Linares.

It was Garcia’s second consecutive first round knockout and each was surprising.

What was not surprising was the large crowd of 10,310 fans that filled the stands to see the 21-year-old from Victorville who has combined matinee idol looks with championship-like fighting skills. Each time Garcia enters the boxing ring the crowds get bigger and bigger.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who attracted similar crowds during his heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s, said the next site for a Garcia sighting will be at the Staples Center. It’s the same arena that De La Hoya opened for boxing when he fought Sugar Shane Mosley 20 years ago.

Even in boxing history repeats itself.

As for the fight there were only 29 total blows exchanged by Garcia and Fonseca. But the left hook that Garcia used to blast out the Nicaraguan was all that was needed. Garcia had landed a left hook earlier but the second left hook sent Fonseca sliding on his back on the floor. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and the fight was over at 1:20 of the first round.

“I seen the left hook. It was there. I just needed for him to commit to a shot and I caught him right in between with a shot,” said Garcia excitedly. “A perfect left hook, that’s what they call it.”

Garcia could be facing Linares if things go as planned.

“I’m growing up. I’m a late bloomer. I feel my body coming in. I told you I’m ready for everybody now. I want everybody. Let’s go,” said Garcia.

Linares   

There are levels to the fight game and three-division world champion Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) showed confident Carlos Morales (19-5-4) a few things in winning by knockout and putting himself in position for another lightweight world title run.

Linares lost his last fight by knockout a year ago, but showed he is far from done as he manipulated Morales into position for a slick left to the body and short right to the chin first in the third round, then for a final knockdown in the fourth.

For nearly three rounds Morales seemed to be able to trade blows with the Venezuelan fighter who formerly held the featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight world championship. But once Linares figured out the right combination, he delivered and Morales could not handle the power. At 2:09 of the fourth the fight was waved off by referee Tom Taylor. Now Linares looks poised to meet Garcia.

“I’m back at 135 and I’m ready for the best at 135. I’m ready for Ryan Garcia and then we will see what happens,” said Linares, 34.

Other Bouts

Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha (16-0, 10 KOs) brought a large local fan base to the fight but had a difficult time with Brad Solomon (28-3, 9 KOs) for most of the 10 rounds they clashed. It wasn’t until the 10th and final round that Rocha was able to finally connect against the slippery Solomon to win by unanimous decision.

But for most of the fight Solomon was able to befuddle and connect with blows especially the right uppercut.

Rocha was the aggressor for all of the welterweight fight but often did nothing  while Solomon landed pot shots from afar. But in the 10th round a right hook followed by blows to the body and head sent Solomon to the floor. He beat the count but Rocha kept the pressure on and easily won the last round.

Surprisingly the fight according to the cards was largely in favor of Rocha but most of the rounds were contested. The scores were 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92 for Rocha who retains the WBC Continental welterweight title.

“It was definitely pretty close,” said Rocha. “I give Brad Solomon much respect.”

Blair Cobbs (14-0-1) used his athleticism to out-box Ghana’s Samuel Kotey (23-3) in the first half and then tried over-powering his foe and that turned things sour, but he managed to win by split decision after 10 rounds and retain the NABF welterweight title. Scores were 95-94 Kotey, while two others saw it 96-93 for Cobbs.

“I have to hand it to him, he had a hell of chin. I’d hit him and he kept coming. He’s a wonderful fighter,” said Cobbs who lives in Las Vegas. “He had a tough chin.”

Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev (5-0, 4 KOs) KOed Mexico’s Oscar Cortes (27-6, 14 KOs) in the first round of a super middleweight match. Melikuziev floored last-minute replacement Cortes twice in the first round. Referee Ed Hernandez stopped the action at 2:05 of the first round. Melikuziev trains in Indio, Calif. with brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz.

Northern California’s Evan Sanchez (7-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Mexican veteran Daniel Evangelista (20-12-2) in the second round of a welterweight match.

“I think I did pretty well. The first round I was pretty stiff, but I can work on that,” said Sanchez out of Parlier, California.

Tenochtitlan Nava (8-2) out-fought Anthony Casillas (8-2) to win by decision after a six-round featherweight bout between Los Angeles area fighters.

Alejandro Reyes (3-0) won by unanimous decision after four rounds versus Nelson Colon (4-2) in a lightweight fight.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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