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Ryan Garcia says they had never taken him down before when An early hit sent the rising star to the canvas in his biggest test yet against Luke Campbell.
The 22-year-old Californian had an impressive response, wowing Campbell with a body shot to win a fight for the interim WBC lightweight title in a seventh-round knockout Saturday night.
Garcia was in control when his left hand smashed into Campbell’s right side and sent the English fighter to one knee at 1:58 of the seventh. Campbell couldn’t get up, giving the undefeated Garcia his 18th knockout in 21 fights.
“That was the hardest hit that ever hit me,” Campbell said. “I tried and tried to get up, but couldn’t. I felt it coming, and I was moving backwards, and when you move backwards, my body relaxed a little bit and that’s the exact moment it hit me. “
Campbell (20-4) dropped Garcia with a left hook in the second round, but didn’t land many other punches, while Garcia was the most aggressive fighter until the decisive blow.
The fight was postponed for about a month because Campbell tested positive for Covid-19. He moved to Texas due to coronavirus restrictions in Garcia’s home state.
“They’ve never let me down in my life,” said Garcia, who is matching his huge social media fans with a flair for the dramatic in the ring. “I think I got too excited at the time.”
Campbell had lost two previous title fights after winning a gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
It was the fifth consecutive knockout for Garcia since what his team deemed a disappointing majority decision over Carlos Morales in 2018.
“This is the kind of fight where you make superstars,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya. “Down on the mat early for the first time in his career, Ryan got up, recovered, dropped his man and got the knockout.”
Garcia easily won the first round before Campbell’s left hook midway through the second. Garcia regained control by continuing to attack and in the fourth round he prevailed with a right-left combination and a quick response to a strong right from left-hander Campbell.
“I was a little dizzy from the fall, but I wasn’t worried,” Garcia said. “He’s not used to moving on so I knew he had to cover for me.”
At the end of the fifth round, Garcia sent Campbell staggering against the ropes and confronted the 33-year-old after the bell sounded. Garcia tried to pick up where he left off early in the sixth, but fell back after an aggressive start to the round.
Garcia did most of the attack, while Campbell seemed content with the backlash.
“He never fights going forward, so I knew he would back down the entire fight,” Garcia said. “I am naturally a counter-puncher. But today I showed that I can be aggressive, go ahead and take it to someone. “
All three judges had Garcia comfortably ahead when Campbell fell, with two of them giving the Los Angeles-area fighter four consecutive rounds before the seventh.
When asked about his next fight, Garcia said he wanted to face Gervonta Davis, but he also mentioned Devin Haney.
“I didn’t let anything stop me from being champion tonight,” Garcia said. “Even when he dropped me, I knew that couldn’t stop me from being champion.”
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