Javier Fortuna promised to prove Garcia overrated when he stepped into the ring with Ryan Garcia. Unfortunately for Fortuna, his predictive powers were limited as Garcia dominated the fight from the opening seconds before scoring a sixth-round knockout to the delight of the crowd inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KO) worked the 23-year-old behind a hard jab and long straight right hands, struggling to deal with Garcia’s length and unable to get anything going in the fight.
Garcia’s (23-0, 19 KO) patient long-range attack paid off in big ways, as Fortuna’s guard steadily came up, exposing his ribs. Garcia took advantage in the fourth round, landing a left hook to the body that staggered Fortuna before taking a knee for the fight’s first knockdown.
Things didn’t go well for Fortuna in the fifth round as Garcia’s left hand moved from the body back to the head. One of those left hooks landed on Fortuna, sending Fortuna to the canvas for the second time in the fight, and the Dominican champion was badly hit when he hit the deck.
The third and final knockdown of the fight came minutes into the sixth round, when Garcia finished a three-punch combination with another left hook to send Fortuna back to the canvas. This time, Fortuna did not rise and Garcia was awarded the knockout at the 0:27 mark of the round.
Although both fighters normally campaigned at lightweight, the fight was contested at super lightweight at the request of Fortuna’s camp. After the fight, Garcia made it clear he was so comfortable at the weight that he would not be moving back down to the lightweight division.
Despite what she says is a permanent move up in weight, Garcia is focused on a big fight with one of the lightweight’s other young stars in Gerwonda “Tank” Davis for her next outing.
“100 percent, I felt good,” Garcia said. “I’m not going to go back to 135 for nothing, but I’m going to fight ‘Tank’ next. If ‘Tank’ wants to go to 140, hey, I’m going to record all the negotiations so you don’t get any headlines. I’m a duck. If he wants it, we’ll get it… That’ll give me the respect I deserve. I’ll never be afraid. I said I’ve got a competitive spirit. You’re going to see me come out when I fight Tank, kicking his ass.”
Garcia and Davis have long talked about a potential fight while sharing the lightweight division with young stars like Devin Haney and Diofimo Lopez, another fighter who recently moved up to the 140-pound division.
Although Davis moved up to the super-lightweight division to win the WBA’s second division title with a dramatic win over Mario Barrios, it’s unclear whether he’ll be ready to return to his five-foot-five weight. The fight also hinges on the various advertisers and networks working out a deal that works for everyone involved.
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CBS Sports will be with you throughout Saturday, so be sure to follow the live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
- Ryan Garcia def. Javier Fortuna via sixth round knockout
- Alexis Rocha def. Luis Alberto Verone by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 99-91)
- Lamont Roche def. Angel Rodriguez via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 117-111)
- David Jimenez def. Ricardo Sandoval via majority decision (114-112, 112-114, 113-113)
Garcia vs. Fortuna scorecard, live coverage
| Garcia | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | K.O | 50 | ||||||
| Fortuna | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 43 |
