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Avila Perspective, Chap. 233: The Rocket Rise of Ryan Garcia

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 233: The Rocket Rise of Ryan Garcia

Waiting in the Tuesday sunshine, atop a lush green Beverly Hills cliff, reporters of all shapes and sizes trickled into the mansion to see the newest version of a prizefighter streaking toward super stardom or bust.

Ryan Garcia seemed destined for this route ever since childhood.

“It takes courage to go after something that nobody believed you could do. That’s why I’m standing here today. To make everybody realize that if you’re in there and chase your dream like you’ve never chased anything before, you’ll see something special happen,” said Garcia.

In less than two weeks, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) dives into a mega fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) in a battle of undefeated power-hitting lightweights bursting with excellence. They will meet at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 22. Showtime pay-per-view and DAZN pay-per-view will show the championship fight.

Ever since Garcia was a child, he seemed to understand his place in the long history of prizefighting.

“When he was seven years old, he introduced himself to referee Tom Taylor,” said Henry Garcia, father of Ryan Garcia. “It’s like he knew.”

After countless amateur fights in small gyms in Southern California, or across the country in remote places, the Garcia family would pack up their bags and head east, south or north. It was apparent that even a young Ryan had assets like speed, power and height. But you never know which young star can handle the dedication and discipline.

Even as a 12-year-old Garcia encountered scrutiny and criticism from parents of other young boxers and a few amateur officials. The politics of boxing are not limited to the professional boxing world. Amateur boxing has its own brand of favoritism and blocking.

Snickers and comments circulated at small-time tournaments when junior high school student Garcia walked to the boxing ring. But once the action began, a sudden silence was noticeable as if the crowd expected something special to happen one way or the other.

Garcia handled the crowd reactions like a veteran.

Now 24, Ryan Garcia worked the media throng with precision and coolness that even his own promoter Oscar De La Hoya took years to develop. I remember well the “Golden Boy’s” obvious shyness around reporters and photographers in 1992 until the early 2000s.

Little by little De La Hoya, the winner of six weight division world titles, needed time to shed that shyness and feel comfortable about speaking to the press. It did not happen overnight.

“I’ve given little tips to Ryan here and there on how to deal with an event of this magnitude. Being involved in events like these inside the ring myself, I can share with Ryan what he’s going to feel come fight week. What he’s going to feel after he weighs in. What he’s going to feel as he’s walking down the tunnel into the ring. It’s no secret that I’ve been there. He’s always open to listening and taking the advice. It can only help,” said De La Hoya.

Is it fate?

There was Ryan Garcia strolling from media spot to media spot interviewing with the expertise and calmness befitting an experienced politician. Even the idea of staging a media day on a Beverly Hills hilltop mansion was his own.

“Can you believe 10 years ago to now,” said Lisa Garcia recalling his rocketing journey. “This was all his idea. He said he didn’t want a boring media day.”

It’s as if he were meant to be a mega fighter.

No two fighters are alike, not even brothers are alike. The road taken by Ryan Garcia was not the journey others have experienced. Yet, talent alone does not make a superstar.

“Ryan has always been focused,” said the father Henry Garcia. “Always.”

Joe Goossen, who has worked with countless world champions from the 1980s to the present, notices differences that are unique to Ryan Garcia.

“He’s got the speed, he’s got the power, he’s got the reach, he’s got the height. What a work ethic. He’s so self-driven and self-motivated. You wonder, ‘Could this really be true?’” said Goossen. “He looks like a star. He carries himself like a star. I just think Ryan is one of the top three of my all-time favorite fighters ever.”

That’s an incredible statement coming from Goossen who has been around hundreds of great fighters in his career.

People around the world are going to witness an event no other sport rivals. Two prizefighters with extraordinary athleticism, skill and fortitude will meet in a small area the size of a living room and dangerously exchange blows.

Anything can happen in a prize fight. Anything.

While looking around the Beverly Hills compound watching reporters absorb the sights and breathe in the crisp spring air, I wondered to myself if the winner will advance to be another superstar?

So many have come and gone.

“With a win, Ryan doesn’t become this generation’s Oscar De La Hoya. He becomes this generation’s Ryan Garcia. Even before he was a superstar, I’ve always said that Ryan Garcia can become even bigger than Canelo. Even bigger than Oscar De La Hoya. Bigger than whoever. Because we’re living in a time where media is everything,” said De La Hoya.

Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia casually talked with various reporters, stopping for an occasional photo and to go through the motions of a workout for the cameras.

“This is a huge fight for boxing. It can really change the trajectory of the sport and inspire young fighters to get it on right now,” Garcia said. “I have to show people that I’m destined for this.”

Photo credit: Al Applerose

More News and Notes

360 Promotions

360 Promotions moves its operations to Commerce Casino on Friday April 14, with Omar Trinidad (11-0-1) facing Adan Ochoa (12-2) in the main event. UFC Fight Pass will be streaming the card live at 8 p.m.

It’s a strong card that also features a female bout between Gloria Munguia and Nikkia Williams in a flyweight match.

The Commerce Casino is located 6131 Telegraph Road in Commerce, Calif.

Creator Clash 2

An army of social media influencers gather to exchange blows as Creator Clash 2 takes place on Saturday April 15, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. All proceeds go to charity.

Led by Alex Massabi and IDUBBZ in a super middleweight pro fight, a large card features both male and female creative artists with many putting on boxing gloves for the very first time.

Abelina Sabrina, JAELARAY, DAD and AB are many of the creators who began training since September for this event. They put in serious work and improvements in their boxing skills are not massive but visible.

Tickets are available and the event will be streamed on pay-per-view at https://www.moment.co/creatorclash/creatorclash-creator-clash2

Fights to Watch: Saturday, Joe Joyce (15-0) vs. Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1) and Mikaela Mayer (17-1) vs. Christina Linardatou (14-2), 12:00 p.m. PT ESPN+

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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

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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

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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

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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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