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Avila Perspective, Chap. 194: Garcia-Fortuna, Barboza-Zorrilla and More

Avila Perspective, Chap. 194: Garcia-Fortuna, Barboza-Zorrilla and More
Every star in prizefighting has experienced the day of reckoning when they either pass or fail.
That day of reckoning has arrived for Ryan “KingRy” Garcia and Arnold Barboza a pair of So Cal fighters who fight in back-to-back days on separate fight cards in Southern California.
Garcia has been called the second coming of the Golden Boy with his Hollywood movie star looks and flashing fists. Millions of dollars have been spent on building a foundation for the Victorville, California fighter whose appeal on social media can be proven numerically.
Can he fight?
Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) meets a dangerous test when he fights Javier Fortuna (37-3-1, 26 KOs) in the main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 16. The Golden Boy Promotions card will be streamed by DAZN.
“I am destroying Fortuna. He cannot beat me. I am levels above him,” Garcia says.
Few question Garcia’s fighting tools. The tall lightweight prizefighter has tremendous hand speed, shocking one-punch power and the ability to magnetize an audience whenever he enters the prize ring. Plus, he can talk a bit.
The one real question is can he take a punch from a puncher like Fortuna?
Fortuna has rendered unconscious 26 foes out of the 41 opponents he’s faced in his career. He’s also a two-time former world titlist.
Golden Boy Promotions signed Garcia to a lucrative deal that will only get bigger if he continues to win. The moment of truth has arrived for KingRy and should he emerge the winner as expected, a showdown with burgeoning mega star Gervonta “Tank” Davis awaits him.
In the recent past, fights between Golden Boy who are committed to DAZN and fighters like Davis who are committed to Showtime or Fox have not been allowed to fight each other. In this instance, Tank Davis has openly demanded this fight. Garcia as well.
A fight between Tank Davis and Ryan Garcia has mega fight written all over it.
Garcia has to win on Saturday to even be considered as Davis’s next foe. No sense wasting time on Golden Boy Promotions end.
Fortuna sees an opening because Garcia’s peering ahead.
“I see that he is very focused on another fight instead of focusing on the fight he has this Saturday. And we hope that after I beat him on Saturday, he doesn’t have any excuses,” said Fortuna.
Garcia admits to looking ahead only because that’s his goal. But he knows a win over Fortuna opens that door.
“What I do know is I want Gervonta Davis next,” said Garcia. “We want that fight. Whoever wins that fight becomes the face of boxing.”
He’s got a point.
Also on the card are Alexis Rocha, Lamont Roach Jr. and flyweight contender Ricardo Sandoval. Doors open at 2 p.m.
Top Rank in Temecula on Friday
About 70 miles south of L.A another boxing show takes place with Top Rank headlining its card with Arnold Barboza (26-0, 10 Kos) meeting Danielito Zorrilla (16-0, 12 KOs) in the main event at Pechanga Resort and Casino on Friday July 15, in Temecula. ESPN will televise.
Two undefeated super lightweight prospects face each other to decide their future in prizefighting.
Barboza, 30, has been around for awhile and has been knocking off fellow contenders for years. He’s maintained his place in line but the time has come to get that world title shot and he’s not shy about asking for it.
“All the hard work is paying off. I began my career fighting on the small UniMás shows and now I’m the main event on ESPN, but we are not satisfied. We want more,” said Barboza.
Zorrilla, 28, is another Puerto Rican slugger who has potential star power, but finding the next Miguel Cotto or Felix Trinidad is not easy. Like Barboza, he’s been knocking off fellow contenders including the shocking second round shellacking of Mexico’s Pablo Cano.
“We are working hard to represent Puerto Rico. If the opportunity presents itself for me to become the next big Puerto Rican star, we will be ready for that and will take it. That is what we are working for,” Zorrilla said.
Whoever wins between Barboza and Zorrilla moves on to a world title fight while the loser has a decision to make whether to remain in the sport.
Also on the card are 2021 Tokyo Olympian heavyweight Richard Torrez and local prospect Raymond Muratalla.
Doors open at 4 p.m.
Social Influencers in Prizefighting
The rise of boxing shows led by influencers has firmly taken root.
Jake Paul has successfully busted into legitimacy and will fight Hasim Rahman Jr. it was announced on Tuesday in New York City. The fight card will include women’s boxing’s super fighter Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano whose fight against Katie Taylor sold out Madison Square Garden last April.
Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) will meet Rahman (12-1, 6 KOs) in the main event on Saturday, Aug. 6, at Madison Square Garden. The cruiserweight fight will be aired via Showtime pay-per-view. Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) defends her featherweight titles against Argentina’s Brenda Carabajal (18-5-1, 9 KOs) in the co-main event.
The Paul and Serrano combination proved to be successful as seen by Showtime network’s willingness to televise the Most Valuable Promotions fight card run by Paul.
Now other influencer groups are joining the fray.
In Los Angeles, another boxing card mixed with social influencers called Social Gloves: No More Talk takes place at the Crypto.com Arena on July 30. A mixture of boxing contenders such as Ali Akhmedov, Cem Kilic, and other pro boxers along with NFL and NBA players such as Adrian Peterson and Nick “Swaggy P” Young are fighting on the card.
The main event features influencer Austin McBroom versus Ali Eson Gib in a light heavyweight match set for six rounds. McBroom is the co-promoter of the event along with Bash Boxing. Tickets are available on AXS.com. The fight card can be viewed on SocialGloves.tv pay-per-view.
Fights to Watch
Thurs. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Quinton Randall (9-0-1) vs Ivan Pandzic (14-1-1).
Fri. ESPN+ 4 p.m. Arnold Barboza (26-0) vs Danielito Zorrilla (16-0).
Sat. ESPN+ 12 p.m. Michael Eifert (10-1) vs Adriano Sperandio (14-1).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Ryan Garcia (22-0) vs Javier Fortuna (37-3-1).
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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