[ad_1]
Luke Campbell dropped Ryan Garcia in the second round, but then succumbed to a brutal body shot in the seventh round; The victory of the American star Garcia justifies his status as one of the most popular properties in American boxing.
Last update: 01/03/21 12:45 am
Ryan Garcia defeated Luke Campbell by stoppage
Ryan Garcia rebounded from an early knockdown to stop Luke Campbell in the seventh round with a brutal body shot.
Garcia found himself on the ground in the second round of his biggest test to date, but struggled and scored an impressive finish with a left hook to the liver that sank Campbell to one knee and was unable to get up.
Saturday’s victory in Texas for the talented 22-year-old justifies Garcia’s status as one of the most popular properties in American boxing.
Picking up the interim WBC title, he becomes the mandatory challenger for also undefeated American Devin Haney (who holds the full title).
He’s at the heart of an exciting lightweight division that also includes Teofimo Lopez (IBF, WBA and WBO champion) and Gervonta Davis (who also has a version of the WBA belt).
Campbell dropped Garcia in the second round
Garcia brutally ended the fight in the seventh
For Campbell, Britain’s Olympic gold medalist, it’s a serious setback in his quest for a world title: At 33, Jorge Linares and Vasiliy Lomachenko had beaten him twice in world title fights.
‘King Ry’ was brought into the ring on a throne, just like Tyson Fury last February before his demolition of Deontay Wilder, but Garcia abruptly returned to earth.
The celebrated American hit the deck for the first time in his 21-fight career in the second round when Campbell perfectly timed a looped left hand to bring him down.
Garcia’s reaction to the first major adversity he has experienced in the ring was positive. He marched back on his front foot and threw power shots while Campbell was content to bide his time.
In a flash late in the fifth, Garcia exploded with a left hook that clearly hurt Campbell, who briefly withered toward the ropes until the bell saved him for the end of the round.
It was clear that Garcia’s power was worrying Campbell, but the Brit also had his moments with deft counterattacks.
‘King Ry’ is the interim WBC lightweight champion
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez celebrated with García
But the show closed in the seventh with a brutal left hook from Garcia to Campbell’s ribs.
The Brit fell to one knee, writhing in pain, and couldn’t get past the referee’s count.
Garcia wildly celebrated the extension of his undefeated record with pound-for-pound supreme Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, with whom he trains alongside, and who stepped into the ring to congratulate him.
[ad_2]
