Javier Fortuna promised that when he stepped into the ring with Ryan Garcia, he’d prove Garcia was overrated. Unfortunately for Fortuna, his predictive powers were lacking as Garcia dominated the fight from the opening seconds before scoring a sixth-round knockout to the delight of the crowd inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KO) never managed to get anything going offensively in the fight, struggling to deal with Garcia’s length as the 23-year-old worked behind a stiff jab and long straight right hands.
The patient long-range attack of Garcia (23-0, 19 KO) paid off in big ways as Fortuna’s guard steadily came up, exposing his ribs. Garcia took advantage of that in the fourth round, landing a crushing left hook to the body that sent Fortuna reeling before he took a knee for the first knockdown of the fight.
Things didn’t get better for Fortuna in the fifth round as Garcia’s left hand moved from the body back to the head. One of those left hooks caught Fortuna flush, sending Fortuna to the canvas for the second time in the fight, with the Dominican veteran wincing badly as he hit the deck.
The third and final knockdown of the fight came just moments into the sixth round as Garcia unloaded a three-punch combination that finished with another left hook and sent Fortuna to the canvas once again. This time, Fortuna did not rise and Garcia was awarded the knockout at the 0:27 mark of the round.
Despite both fighters normally campaigning at lightweight, the fight was contested at super lightweight at the request of the Fortuna camp. After the fight, Garcia made it clear that he was so comfortable at the weight that he would not be returning to the lightweight division.
Even with what he claims is a permanent move up in weight, Garcia remains focused on a massive fight with one of lightweight’s other young stars in Gervonta “Tank” Davis for his next outing.
“100 percent, I felt way better,” Garcia said. “I’m not going back to 135 for nothing but I will fight ‘Tank’ next. If ‘Tank’ wants it at 140. Hey, I’m going to record all the negotiations so that you guys don’t make no headlines saying I’m ducking. If he wants it, let’s get it. … That’s going to give me the respect I deserve. I’m never afraid. I’ve said I have a spirit of competition in me. You’re going to see that come out when I fight tank and whoop his ass.”
Garcia and Davis have long talked up a potential fight while sharing the lightweight division along with other young stars like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, another fighter who has recently moved to the 140-pound division.
While Davis has ventured to the super lightweight division to win the WBA’s secondary title with a dramatic win over Mario Barrios, it’s unknown if he would be willing to return to the weight given he is only five-foot-five. The fight also hinges on various promoters and networks being able to work out a deal that is fit for all involved.
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CBS Sports will be with you throughout the entire way on Saturday, so be sure to follow along with the live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
- Ryan Garcia def. Javier Fortuna via sixth-round knockout
- Alexis Rocha def. Luis Alberto Veron via unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 99-91)
- Lamont Roach 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 | KO | 50 | ||||||
| Fortuna | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 43 |