Ryan Garcia made his return to the ring earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 2, 2023) to face Oscar Duarte in San Antonio, TX., seven months removed from suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Gervonta Davis. And he turned in a masterful winning performance.
For the first few rounds, Garcia was utilizing his foot work, which came in handy because Duarte came out aggressive and starting working the body. For Garcia, the jab was his friend early on thanks to his reach advantage, though “King Ry’s” shoulder roll defense was a bit questionable, nearly turning his back all the way every time he used it, leading to a couple of punches to the back of the head.
Duarte starting to pick up the pace in the later rounds, leading Garcia to move around the ring quite a bit, which didn’t sit too well with fans in attendance. In the eighth round, however, Garcia landed one of his trademark lightning-quick left hooks that rocked Duarte. Smelling blood, Garcia pounced and unloaded a barrage of strikes that sent his foe crashing to the canvas.
The referee then started his count while Duarte was looking straight at him. Once he got to eight, it was clear that it was going to be a close call. And that’s just what happened because Duarte eventually got up right after the referee hit 10, leading to him calling the fight. Naturally, Duarte didn’t like the call, but it was the right one to make.
Garcia now has 20 knockouts on his resume and is back on track after his previous setback. During his in-ring interview, he proceeded to call out Rolando Romero, who is coming off a win over Ismael Barroso this past May. It’s a fight Garcia says is a necessary step to take before he sets his sights on Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
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