Ryan Garcia enjoyed a triumphant return to the ring on Saturday night in Houston. After the fight, Garcia used the winning platform to call out his next opponent.
In the main event of a DAZN streamed Golden Boy card, Garcia scored an eighth-round KO win over Oscar Duarte to improve his record to 24-1 with 20 KOs.
Garcia landed a sweeping left hook that stunned Duarte and ultimately dropped him with a barrage of punches. Duarte went down and got to a knee but did not beat the referee’s count to 10.
Before the knockout, Duarte made a strong account of himself. According to CompuBox, Duarte landed seven more power punches than Garcia did in the fight (62 to 55), and the latter only connected with one more punch overall.
Despite Duarte’s gameness, Garcia’s power and speed were the difference in the fight, as the two qualities were apparent in the deciding round.
Duarte’s record fell to 26-2-1; this was the first time he’s been stopped. Saturday night’s bout was Garcia’s first fight since being defeated by Gervonta Davis in April via TKO.
After the fight, Garcia called out Rolly Romero, and during the post-fight presser, he made it known he wanted to fight Shakur Stevenson.
Garcia seemed to prioritize a potential fight with Romero, calling him “an aggressive, crazy and fun” opponent.
His remarks about Stevenson weren’t as flattering. Garcia and his promoter, the legendary Oscar De La Hoya, poked fun at Stevenson’s lack of action in November’s recent win over Edwin De Los Santos.
Stevenson was widely criticized for a lackluster fight, even though he won a unanimous decision.
Garcia’s performance against Duarte wasn’t viewed as a spectacular exhibition of the sweet science. Before the KO finish, the commentators Shawn Porter, Todd Grisham, and Sergio Mora asked Garcia to “show them something” before the left hook started the flurry that ended the fight.
It should be a compelling event if Garcia faces Stevenson or Romero in his next fight. Both opponents are young and bring enough notoriety to help promote the fight beyond the level of Saturday’s clash with Duarte.
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