Ryan Garcia KOs Ex-Champion Javier Fortuna at L.A.

LOS ANGELES-In a crucial super lightweight contest Ryan Garcia opened the gates to possible multi-million-dollar fights with a riveting knockout win over former world champion Javier Fortuna on Saturday.

“I know I was crisp and sharp and stood my ground,” Garcia said.

The crowd breathed heavy with every exchange.

A rather fashionably looking Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) dressed in white colored Dior boxing trunks took charge and knocked out Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KOs) in front of more than 11,000 at Crypto.com Arena.

Garcia said he will no longer fight at lightweight except if Gervonta “Tank” Davis agrees to fight. We shall see if Davis still desires a showdown.

Few knew what to expect between Fortuna and Garcia except that it was the Southern Californian’s toughest fight yet. He had never faced a world champion before and though he had promised an easy victory, seasoned fighters have their own set of tricks to the trade.

Garcia opened up quickly behind a strong and lightning left jab. He also maintained a disciplined distance for most of the fight. Fortuna was cautious and waiting for Garcia to relax and give up distance. That moment never came.

Instead of the patented check left hook that Garcia is known for, he worked behind a lead right cross to open up Fortuna’s defense. It worked until the second round but Fortuna found an opening and caught Garcia with an overhand right. The crowd ooed the powerful Fortuna punch. Fortuna had disposed of twenty-six foes in his previous fights.

“He hit hard. He has a hard fist. When I face big punchers I fight better,” said Garcia.

The fourth round saw Garcia a little more comfortable but still maintaining arms-length in distance. When Fortuna moved against the ropes with his hand defending his face, Garcia immediately launched a left hook to the body and down went Fortuna for the count. He got up and rallied but could not connect solidly against Garcia.

In the fifth round Garcia cornered Fortuna again and launched a three-punch combination. A left hook to the head collapsed Fortuna again. And again he beat the count.

Garcia was in full hunt mode in the sixth and Fortuna realized it. The Southern California fighter had a look of calm but was intent on finishing the fight. A sizzling three-punch combination connected and Fortuna was counted out this time by Referee Jerry Cantu at 27 seconds of the sixth round.

“First, before I do anything I want to look up and thank God,” said Garcia. “The fight speaks for itself. I don’t need to say anything else.”

Many had questioned Garcia’s willingness to fight and opinions varied on what his true goal was as a pro boxer.

“They said I was a guy that didn’t care about boxing. You seen today when I step in the ring I take all the negativity out and make it into a positive,” said Garcia about the constant criticisms. “I will fight Tank next.”

Asked why he wants Tank Davis?

“That’s going to give me the respect that I deserve,” Garcia explained. “I have a spirit of competition and you’re going to see that when I fight Tank.”

The Saturday night win by Garcia possibly sets up a pivotal match with burgeoning super star Gervonta “Tank” Davis whose penchant for spectacular knockout wins makes boxing fans salivate at the possibilities of a clash with Garcia. It would be star power versus star power.

Rocha Wins

Alexis Rocha (20-1,13 KOs) battered his way to contention with a near shutout of Argentina’s Luis Veron (19-5-2) to win the NABO welterweight title by unanimous decision after 10 rounds.

The southpaw slugger from Orange County was in complete control in all 10 rounds against Veron who had a sturdy chin but just couldn’t match Rocha’s relentless power and steadiness. No knockdowns were scored as two judges scored it 100-90 and a third 99-91 for Rocha.

Other Bouts

Washington D.C.’s Lamont Roach (23-1-1, 9 KOs) out-battled Colombia’s Angel Rodriguez (20-2, 10 KOs) to win the super featherweight title elimination contest by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

Roach was simply tougher mentally and physically and was the better technical fighter and used that to is advantage whenever the fight got tough.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (12-0, 9 KOs) out-dueled Southern California’s Ricardo Sandoval (20-2, 15 KOs) to win by majority decision after 12 rounds in a flyweight elimination fight.

Jimenez was slow in the beginning as Sandoval’s sharp punches allowed him to take the lead. But Jimenez kept battling and chipped away at Sandoval’s defense and eventually floored the local fighter with a right cross. Sandoval beat the count but the momentum changed and that allowed Jimenez to win by scores of 116-112 twice and 114-114.

Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo (5-0, 3 KOs) defeated Philippine’s Victorio Saludar (21-6, 11 KOs) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds in a minimumweight title elimination fight that was mostly dominated by the Boricua.

An exchange of knockdowns in the seventh round saw Saludar go to his knees after a body shot. Then when Collazo attempted to end the fight he was caught by a Saludar right uppercut. From that point on Collazo remained in control and won by unanimous decision.

still more

Diego De La Hoya (23-1, 11 KOs) won by knockout over Enrique Bernache (24-14) in a restart of a fight that was cut short due to an accidental head butt years ago. This time De La Hoya maintained his distance and used his trigger quick left hook to connect over and over. Finally, in the fourth round the check left hook found the proper mark and Bernache was staggered. De La Hoya unleashed a lightning six-punch combination and referee Ray Corona ended the fight at 2:51 of the fourth round.

De La Hoya, 27, the cousin of promoter Oscar De La Hoya, returned to the prize ring for the first time in three years.

A lightweight fight ended suddenly when Miguel Gaona (3-0, 2 KOs) dropped Abdiel Padilla (1-3) twice with body shots in the first round. The second body blow ended the fight at 1:20 of the first round as referee Jack Reiss counted Padilla out.

Photo credit: Tom Hogan / Golden Boy

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