Ryan Garcia was troubled by Oscar Duarte’s striking tactics but found the shot that ended the fight in the eighth round, a left hook followed by a barrage of punches that earned him a knockout Saturday night in Houston.
Garcia, in his first fight since an April TKO loss to Gervonta Davis, heard boos in the eighth round and the fight appeared to be slipping away from him. That’s when he unleashed a left hand that wobbled Duarte and eventually sent him to the knee.
Duarte gathered his feet when the referee’s count reached 10, giving Garcia the knockout victory with nine seconds left in the eighth round.
“I just had to slow his momentum down,” said Garcia, 25. “He was building momentum and momentum, and I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to cut this off somehow.’ “…He was a tough fighter. He took a good punch. …I hit him with some good shots, and he kept going.”
“It was hard. It was very hard. … I have a killer instinct. Sometimes when I hurt someone that bad, I break them down.”
Duarte, despite receiving a big knockout punch, said he was upset by the 10 count.
“I feel like it was unfair because I still woke up,” Duarte said in remarks translated from Spanish. “I still feel like I can keep going.”
Garcia (24-1, 20 knockouts) was ahead 68-65, 69-64 and 68-65 on the judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage. He lost rounds 5 and 6 on two of three scorecards, and Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) was coming on strong when Garcia knocked him down in the eighth round.
The game was Garcia’s first with Derrick James, the 2022 ESPN Coach of the Year, who replaced Joe Goosen after the loss to Davis.
“Derek said start using your legs a little bit, the shot will open up, and he literally did that,” said Garcia, who earned nearly $30 million in the bout against Davis. “It’s our first fight together. We’re going to build on this, and we’re going to get better. I’m committed to becoming a world champion.”
Garcia looked uncomfortable at times in the ring after his first loss. He revealed a shoulder roll during the bout, but it was ineffective as he turned his back to Duarte’s thunderous body shots.
Garcia’s two bouts in 2022 were contested at 140 pounds prior to his superfight at 136 pounds with Davis, which included a same-day rehydration clause that didn’t allow him to weigh more than 146 pounds. The fight with Duarte was contested at 143 pounds.
Duarte, a 135-pounder, was the smaller man, but he was relentless in his pursuit of Garcia, peppering him with body shots, while Garcia landed a powerful jab and routinely connected with a powerful left jab.
Duarte (27 years old) entered the match after 11 consecutive knockout matches, defeating Garcia 62-55. But it was Garcia who threw the much bigger punches and had the much faster hands.
Garcia moved around the ring without landing many punches in the seventh and eighth rounds before landing the one shot he needed. Despite his protests, Duarte was unable to beat the count.
With the comeback win behind him, Garcia called out 140-pound titleholder Rolly Romero, who also has a stoppage loss to Davis.
“If Rollies wants it, let him do it, Rollies,” Garcia said. “Let’s keep building, and then we can go after Devin Haney and all the other guys – Teofimo. But you know, we’ve got to make our moves.”
There are also steps Garcia must take on the business side. He sent a demand letter in June to his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy, alleging violations that violated his contract. Golden Boy responded with a lawsuit to enforce that promotional agreement.
The case has yet to be resolved, but the fighter and promoter have put their differences aside to allow Garcia to fight again in 2023. However, it all came to a head at Thursday’s press conference, when he called out De La Hoya and Golden Boy. Executive Bernard Hopkins.
“The only thing that was on my heart were the statements that Bernard made where he would decide whether I was finished or whether I should continue boxing after this fight,” Garcia said on Thursday. “He didn’t decide to… and no one told him when to stop boxing.”
Garcia continued, “The other thing I want to address is Oscar saying that we’re misinterpreting what they’re saying. It’s plain English. I haven’t heard anyone speak any language that I don’t know.”
On Thursday afternoon, De La Hoya, in a since-deleted social media post, questioned Garcia’s “state of mind.”
“Given his history of mental instability (which he has documented himself), his current erratic behavior clearly shows that he is not focused on Saturday’s fight,” De La Hoya wrote in his post. “You won’t return my calls, Ryan. I hope you’re okay.”
After Saturday’s fight, the two appeared to once again put their differences aside — at least momentarily — as De La Hoya congratulated Garcia.
“It just comes with the territory,” Garcia said regarding the drama with his promoter. “I’m a person who likes to move forward, I have a good heart, and I show tolerance. … I don’t have hard feelings toward anyone. I just hope the truth prevails, and that’s all.”
