Here’s what you need to know:
— Watch: Round 8: Garcia unloads and stuns with a knockout
— Round 6: Garcia settles into poor defensive posture
— Ryan Garcia’s wild year: Making $30 million off a loss, suing Oscar De La Hoya and changing trainers
Round 8: Garcia unloads and stuns with a knockout
Round 8: Fans start booing in full force as Ryan Garcia remains puzzled to let his hands go with mean intentions. Garcia is on the proverbial bike and riding around the ring, moving away from Oscar Duarte. It’s not engaging, but Garcia is at least showing nothing is wrong with his legs.
And then lightning strikes and Garcia connects with a check left hook. Duarte is hurt in an immediate flash. Garcia unloads on Duarte with a flurry along the ropes and Duarte’s legs betray him. He crumbles to the canvas. He tries to get up and barely makes the 10 count, but referee James Green counts him out at the 2:51 mark of the round. Garcia is your winner by knockout.
Round 7: Duarte delivers blows during aggressive round
Round 7: Oscar Duarte gets overly aggressive and eats a counter shot from Ryan Garcia. That doesn’t deter Duarte from still charging ahead for the rest of the round. Garcia is sticking and moving, trying to find his openings but with little success. Garcia is not letting his hands go as much as he did in the opening few rounds, and Duarte appears to tack another round in his favor.
Round 6: Garcia settles into poor defensive posture
Round 6: Ryan Garcia lands a hard uppercut to begin the round, but his poor defensive posture resurfaces. Garcia appears stiff and upright, and his body is positioned in a poor angle with his back almost turned to Oscar Duarte. Duarte doesn’t care and continues pounding Garcia. A curious defensive adjustment for Garcia midway through the fight. Is something perhaps bothering him? Momentum continues to shift to Duarte.
Round 5: Duarte delivers arguably his best round
Round 5: Both fighters have landed 21 power punches through four rounds. Ryan Garcia opens the round with a sharp three-punch combination. He then resorts to an unconventional defensive approach that mimics a poor man’s version of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s shoulder roll. Garcia hits Oscar Duarte below the belt and gets warned for it, and Duarte ends the round with a fierce attack to the body. The fifth is arguably Duarte’s best round of the fight.
Round 4: Duarte warned twice for excessive shots to back of Garcia’s head
Round 4: Oscar Duarte continues with relentless pressure but doesn’t let his hands go with equal intensity. Ryan Garcia is picking and popping his shots. When Duarte does let his hands go, referee James Green serves Duarte with two hard warnings for excessive shots to the back of Garcia’s head. A foul-filled round comes to an unspectacular close.
Round 3: Garcia is aggressive, but many punches are off target
Round 3: Ryan Garcia unleashes a three-punch combination in the opening minute that glances off the gloves of Oscar Duarte. He later follows up with a right hand with devastating intentions that slightly misses the mark. Garcia shows some deft defense, slips a wild left hook from Duarte and impressively answers with another three-punch combo. It wasn’t all defense, however, as Duarte’s best punch of the round is an overhand right hand that connects.
Round 2: Duarte lands a sweeping left hook
Round 2: Ryan Garcia ditched his stool and remained standing in his corner after the first round ended. But it’s Oscar Duarte who is still rejuvenated, landing an impressive and sweeping left hook midway through the round. Garcia eats it well and does not appear to be rattled. He has been dropped twice before in the second round during his career. Garcia reacts with sharp counters off his back foot to end a competitive round.
Round 1: Both fighters open with aggression
Round 1: Hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco walked Ryan Garcia into the ring by serenading him with his hit anthem “Superstar.” The 25-year-old boxter will need a show-stopping performance to propel himself back as a star.
Oscar Duarte is introduced to a healthy chorus of cheers, but it’s clear the Houston crowd in attendance is overwhelmingly there to see Garcia revive his career.
At the sound of the opening bell, Garcia steps out and pumps a flashing jab and a left hook as well as a nice right to the body. Duarte answers with a left hook of his own. He puts his head down and charges forward, but Garcia rings his bell with a sharp left uppercut. Duarte continues to come forward, but Garcia banks the round by moving and jabbing at the end of the first frame.
Floyd Schofield Jr. drops Ricardo Lopez four times, scores first-round TKO
Floyd Schofield Jr. made minced meat of Ricardo Lopez, knocking him down four times in the first round to score a sensational technical knockout win.
Schofield (16-0, 12 KOs) showed impressive power and explosive speed to easily demolish the outmatched Lopez (17-8-3, 12 KOs) for the statement victory.
The fight lasted just 1:51 before referee Joe Rodriguez mercifully ended the action. The sizzling Schofield landed 14 punches and essentially made all of them count.
The 21-year-old lightweight phenom Schofield is one of boxing’s best up-and-coming prospects.
Shane Mosley Jr. scores technical knockout win against Joshua Conley
Shane Mosley Jr. beat Joshua Conley into submission, scoring a series of blows in the sixth round to force Conley to quit in his corner before the start of the seventh round of their middleweight matchup scheduled for 10.
Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs) — the son of Hall of Fame fighter and Pamona native “Sugar” Shane Mosley — dominated every round as Conley (17-6-1, 11 KOs) mostly tried to counter with one punch at a time.
Mosley landed 93 of 392 punches compared to 52 of 149 from Conley.
The victory was the fourth in a row for the 32-year-old Mosley, who’s trying to position himself for a WBA world title shot.
Conley suffered a cut near his left eye in the first round and by the second it was nearly shutting. Mosley treated the area like a bullseye and unleashed a heavy diet of right hands soon after.
But Conley’s corner worked wonders and tended to the damage.
The cagey Conley became inspired and remained competitive throughout the third and fourth rounds, landing a thudding left hook in the fourth that stopped the stationary Mosley in his tracks. It was his best-landed punch of the fight.
Midway through the sixth round, however, Mosley exacted revenge, landing a looping right hand that seriously staggered Conley.
Conley never was able to get his legs back under him, and Mosley battered Conley from pillar to post for the rest of the round. Conley staggered to his corner, sat on his stool, and decided he had absorbed enough damage.
The loss was the third in a row for the Montclair-born, San Bernardino resident Conley.
The always-matched tough Conley has previously lost to the likes of Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Carlos Adames, Julian Williams, and Steven Butler; he beat Curtis Stevens last year.
The revived Mosley’s winning streak features victories against Gabriel Rosado, Mario Alberto Lozano, and D’Mitrius Ballard.
Tale of the tape between Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte
Ryan Garcia
Age: 25
Hometown: Victorville
Record: 23-1, 19 knockouts
Nickname: King Ry
Total rounds fought: 92
Knockout Ratio: 82%
Height: 5-foot-8 ½ inches
Reach: 70 inches
Weight: 143 pounds
Stance: Orthodox
Trainer: Derrick James
Turned Professional: 2016
Oscar Duarte
Age: 27
Hometown: Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico
Record: 26-1-1, 21 KOs
Total rounds fought: 129
Knockout Ratio: 80%
Height: 5-foot-9
Reach: 71 inches
Weight: 142.8 pounds
Stance: Orthodox
Turned Professional: 2013
Darius Fulghum dominates Pachino Hill to score second-round TKO win
Registered-nurse-turned-knockout-artist Darius Fulghum stepped into the ring wearing an academic cap and promptly gave Pachino Hill a lesson in the school of hard knocks.
The light heavyweight prospect Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) scored a statement second-round technical knockout win by unleashing unrelenting, one-sided pressure and punches against Hill (8-5-1, 6 KOs) to kick off the card on DAZN.
After a dominant first round, Fulghum cornered Hill and unleashed a flurry of punches in the second, forcing referee Mark Calo-oy to step in and stop the fight at the 56-second mark.
Fulghum outlasted Hill 40 to seven. He threw 112 punches compared to just 32 from Hill.
The fight marked the sixth of the year for the 27-year-old Fulghum and he continued his knockout streak.
A Houston native, Fulghum is managed by Los Angeles-based executive David Suh of 3 Point Management, and he signed a promotional deal with Golden Boy in October.
The multi-dimensional Fulghum has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Prairie View A&M.
Watch: Ryan Garcia’s testy press conference and weigh-in
While you wait for the main event to begin between Ryan Garcia and Oscar Duarte, look back at the testy news conference on Thursday and weigh-in on Friday.
The news conference:
The weigh-in:
Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte: Undercard schedule
The card headlined by Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte will begin at 5 p.m. PST and will be complemented by three other fights.
In the co-main event, Floyd Schofield Jr. (15-0, 11 KOs) will take on Ricardo Lopez (17-7-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout.
Preceding them will be Shane Mosley Jr. (20-4, 11 KOs) taking on Joshua Conley (17-5-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight matchup.
Kicking off the card will be a clash between Darius Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs) and Pachino Hill (8-4-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round light heavyweight scrap.
Garcia’s younger brother Sean Garcia (6-0-1, 2 KOs) will also be featured on the card in a non-televised four-round lightweight tilt taking on Joseph Johnson (3-1-1, 0 KOs).
Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte betting odds
Ryan Garcia is a -445 betting favorite to beat Oscar Duarte, according to DraftKings. Duarte is a +310 betting underdog.
The over-under on the number of total rounds is 8.5.
A full breakdown of bets and methods of victory can be seen here via DraftKings.
Who is Oscar Duarte, Ryan Garcia’s latest opponent?
Oscar Duarte is a hard-punching 10-year professional fighter who hails from Chihuahua, Mexico.
Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) is riding an 11-fight win streak — all of them by knockout — ever since suffering his first professional loss in 2019 to Adrian Estrella in a 10-round split decision.
The 27-year-old contender is a formidable foe who’ll be stepping up from 135 to 143 pounds for the catchweight clash.
“I am thankful for this opportunity,” Duarte said. “I’m ready. I’m living in my best moment. I’m going to shine. I’m going to win and I’m going to be the next idol in Mexican boxing.”
If the distractions Ryan Garcia is dealing with outside of the ring prove to be a factor come fight night, Duarte can capitalize on his opportunity to score the upset of the year.
The durable Duarte should be a familiar face to Southern California fight fans who have frequented Golden Boy shows ever since he signed with the promotional company in 2016. Duarte has fought 14 times across Los Angeles, Long Beach, Carson, Anaheim and Indio — his other 14 fights have been in Mexico.
Duarte will be fighting for the third time this year. He knocked out Alex Martin in March and stopped D’Angelo Keyes in May.
Duarte’s best victory to date came against Roger Gutierrez in 2018 in a fourth-round stoppage. Gutierrez later revived his career and became a 130-pound world titleholder in 2021.
Watch: Exclusive interview with Oscar De La Hoya
I talked to Oscar De La Hoya on Friday night to discuss the details around the fractured relationship with Ryan Garcia and the problems it presents to promote his star prizefighter.
De La Hoya also expressed concern that Garcia’s fight against Duarte is taking place at a 143-pound catchweight, the heaviest weight of Garcia’s career.
“Ryan Garcia wanted a catchweight at 143 pounds, so we made it happen,” said De La Hoya. “I am concerned because why not make it at 140? If you’re a professional, you’re going to train hard and work hard, then 140 should not be a problem. I have no idea why he wanted this fight at 143. It’s concerning. I’m genuinely concerned about him and where he’s at. It’s my right to be concerned because I care.”
Watch: Exclusive interview with Ryan Garcia
I sat down with Ryan Garcia for an extended one-on-one interview covering a variety of topics ahead of his comeback fight against Oscar Duarte.
The interview took place before Garcia and Hall of Fame fighters-turned-promoters Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins feuded throughout the week.
Here are some of the highlights:
On having to prove himself again following the knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in April …
“The hardest thing [from the Davis loss] is knowing that wasn’t my best and everyone had to have an opinion that. ... Just knowing that people are thinking that pisses me off a little bit. But that’s part of the game. I lost. It is what it is. I accepted that fight under those circumstances and I have to live with that.
“I like this position of having to prove myself. It makes me feel like my younger self coming up from the ages of 18 to 22.
“They are going to stop disrespecting me, for real.”
On being more dedicated to boxing with new trainer Derrick James …
“Everything with Derrick James since the beginning of camp has been around technique and cleaning up the little things I do, footwork and just the basics, the fundamentals.
“From there we opened it up and now things are flowing and things are moving. I feel the best since 2020. Plus, I’ve sharpened up some rough edges. It couldn’t be better right now. We’re doing a great job. And really what’s different is my commitment and dedication to the sport. All of those things combined, nothing bad can happen after that.
“I’m not letting up. I am going to put my foot on everyone’s neck, foot to the peddle, and full throttle. This is me being healthy and at my best. The mindset is no compromises and giving everything we got and campaigning to become a world champion at 140 pounds. That’s my mindset and Derrick’s mindset. He said to me that I’m his last fighter. When I retire, he retires.
“I’m tired of people disrespecting me. I’ve been boxing since I was 7 years old, working with my dad every single day, grinding to get here. I’m tired of that. Don’t tell me that I’m not dedicated.
“I plan on going on a run like I did prior to 2020 when I was just killing it. I’m going to do it again but at 140 and then become a champion. And then run it back with Gervonta Davis because I’m a better fighter. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t committed to the sport the way I am now. I was in Los Angeles doing whatever I wanted. This change and where I am at [in] life is who I am. That’s my main focus — to be a world champion at 140, get the rematch with Tank and beat him, and then the sky is the limit.”
On losing a step following mental health break in 2021 …
“My mental health break caused me to stumble and made me take a lot of steps back.
“I got involved with things that take away from how you sharpen your boxing. When I tried to get back into it, I lost a step and never knew how to get it back. Life was moving so fast. I felt so much pressure to get back in the ring and make money. It never let me get my foot set and get back in the gym and learn, and remember the things that I knew to do, what made me, me. It was a hard time figuring it out, but this loss [to Davis] helped it. Because now I’m awake and so focused. I feel the fire and focus now. It’s going to be fun and magical. I can’t wait for people to see it. I’m going to set a tone and example out of Duarte for everyone at 140 pounds. This is how I’m coming. Be prepared. I’m not letting my foot off the gas after this. I want to keep fighting and stay active, whether a big fight happens or not. I have to stay active because that’s the one thing that’s crippled me. When I’m active, I’m on fire. You’ve seen it before.
“I don’t care about the money. Money doesn’t define me. Money comes and goes. Money is nothing to me.
“Now it’s about being a world champion. Money is great. I’m blessed. I’m thankful for it, but that’s not going to define me. What’s going to define me is how I come back from this [loss to Davis].”
On rematch fight with Gervonta Davis …
“[Davis] will never fight me at 140. This guy will never fight anybody at a fair thing. He just won’t. He won’t chance it. He really doesn’t have that dog in him. He doesn’t have that spirit of an old-school fighter. But I don’t care.
“We didn’t really run it. That wasn’t really a fight. It was a half-a-man versus a dude that, even when he dropped me, he really didn’t want to engage either, to be honest.
“I’m going to do it again but at 140 and then become a champion. And then run it back with Gervonta Davis because I’m a better fighter. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t committed to the sport the way I am now. I was in Los Angeles doing whatever I wanted. This change and where I am at life is who I am. That’s my main focus — to be a world champion at 140, get the rematch with Tank and beat him, and then the sky is the limit.
“He can’t be a star if he’s doing 150,000 buys [before fighting me]. How can he be a star? I popped him up, remember that. I gave him some stardom. Now, he’s poppin’. You need two fighters to tango. So if he thinks he can come back and fight some random dude and do a PPV, he’s not. But we’ll see what he does.
“He’s going to have to come to me. Do you know why? Because he can’t sell pay-per-views.
“At the end of the day, they are all going to need me, and that’s just facts. I can make way bigger fights than [Davis] than he can make by himself. So he’s going to have to see me for the money because he likes money. He should be thanking me. I just blessed him with around $30 million.”
On being one of boxing’s biggest draws moving forward …
“They need me, remember that. Tank Davis was doing 150,000 PPV buys before he fought me. We got 1.2 million [PPV buys]. That should tell you something. They need me ... because I am the guy. It’s just what it is. You need me to make a big fight ... the new [PPV] blueprint is that you need a dance partner ... that’s the key ... this guy Duarte is good, but only to the boxing fans. Nobody knows him. I can’t go around the street and go, ‘yo, you know who Oscar Duarte is?’ Why would I put that on PPV and rob my fans? I’m honest with my fans.
“Yeah, for sure [I consider myself the next great PPV star in the sport]. And Canelo [Álvarez] said it himself, too, that ‘Ryan has the potential to become the next one, and the next PPV star.’ I just have to keep on being strategic, stick to the blueprint, and be confident.”
On how Oscar Duarte will prepare him for a super lightweight championship run …
“This guy [Duarte] is a threat. He’s dangerous. So people who don’t like me, you never know, waiting for that one punch [to hurt me]. For the people who do love me, you’re about to see domination.
“I want to become a champion at 140. How can I become a champion if I am fighting a guy who’s not going to prepare me for a championship fight?
“I expect a tough fight out of Duarte. He’s a tough competitor and a tough fighter in general. From the looks of it, he packs a powerful punch. And it’s going to set me up for the future. You can’t expect to be a world champion if you are fighting guys that won’t be a threat to you.”
Ryan Garcia’s wild year: Making $30 million off a loss, suing Oscar De La Hoya and changing trainers
Tense and turbulent times have flared once again for Ryan Garcia.
It’s seemingly never a smooth ride for Garcia, and 2023 has been no different as the 25-year-old boxing star has endured highs and lows.
In April, Garcia suffered his first professional loss when he was knocked out by Gervonta Davis in a 136-pound catchweight fight.
Although the defeat damaged his credibility in the ring, the bout was a blockbuster success, padding his bank account to the tune of $30 million. The fight also generated nearly 1.2 million pay-per-view buys and $22.8 million in ticket revenue overall, further proving that Garcia, and Davis moved the needle across mainstream masses.
Outside of the financial success, however, it’s been a tumultuous stretch for the Victorville-born-and-bred prizefighter.
Garcia said after the loss that he was weight drained, had a rib injury heading into the fight and even a mole in his training camp leaking information. He also openly questioned the loyalty of promoters Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins for failing to be present immediately after the fight for his press conference.
The back-and-forth bickering escalated when Garcia’s legal team sent Golden Boy a demand letter alleging violations of their promotional agreement. A week later, Golden Boy filed a lawsuit against Garcia and his attorney and adviser Guadalupe Valencia to enforce its contract. Garcia later filed a motion to dismiss Golden Boy’s complaint against him. The lawsuits are still pending.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) will step into the ring Saturday for his 143-pound catchweight clash looking to revive his career against Oscar Garcia (26-1-1, 21 KOs) at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Earlier in the week, more fuel was added to the fiery feud following comments made by the Hall of Famers De La Hoya and Hopkins.
Hopkins said he would decide if Garcia should ever fight again after Saturday.
Garcia used the stage during a press conference Thursday to fire back.
“One thing that’s been on my heart is the statements that Bernard made where he’ll decide if I’m going to finish or if I should continue boxing after this fight,” Garcia said. “He doesn’t decide that. My coach [Derrick James] does. My team does. Everybody that grinds with me, day in and day out, that’s who decides.
“Another thing I want to touch on is Oscar saying that we misinterpret what they say. It’s plain English. I didn’t hear anybody speaking any language I don’t know.”
Garcia will finally switch gears from verbally sparring with one Oscar to fighting a boxer, looking to prove that his skills are as strong as his social reach.
“The hardest part is being his promoter because he has so many people talking in his ear,” De La Hoya told The Times on Friday. “I do not understand what Ryan has against us. ... Ryan, I feel your pain. I wish you all the best. ... I’m in his corner. I have nothing against him.”
Valencia has a different assessment of the support for Garcia.
“I don’t think anyone inside or outside of boxing thinks they are promoting Ryan properly,” Valencia told The Times on Friday.
“It’s also odd that Oscar says ‘other people around Ryan are in his ear’ as if Ryan is not smart and his own person and has the ability to think for himself. … The source of the problems are them saying bizarre things that are not appropriate for a promoter to be saying. Ryan articulately reacted to the disrespect he experienced. I was extremely disappointed at the conduct of two 50-plus-year-old guys who are supposed to be promoting and moving Ryan’s career forward. Ryan wants to continue to fight in 2024 and he doesn’t want anything to stop him. What that structure is like depends on the future litigation. Certainly what they’ve done in this fight has not helped their own cause [in the ongoing legal matters].”
De La Hoya maintained that he plans on further building Garcia’s budding career if he gets past Duarte by pitting his pupil against the winner of next weekend’s matchup between WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis and Devin Haney.
Garcia is promising the public a reinvented version of himself after previously admitting that he wasn’t dedicated to boxing and was fighting at just 50%.
He’s tasked the reigning trainer of the year James to revive his career after parting ways with Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen following the Davis loss.
“I put everything into this fight,” said Garcia. “You know, for the first time, I’m extremely committed. ... You know, 2021 was one of the years that kind of broke me [due to battling mental health issues.] … I’m about to come back for everything, I’m just laser-focused and that’s where my confidence comes from.”
How to watch Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte fight
The fight between Ryan Garcia and Oscar Duarte will headline a Golden Boy Promotions card on streaming service DAZN beginning at 5 p.m. PST.
A monthly DAZN subscription is required to watch the fight. Pricing begins at $19.99 a month and an annual pass can be purchased for $224.99.
If you’re in the Houston area and want to be ringside at the Toyota Arena, tickets can be purchased through AXS.com, the event’s official ticket distribution service.