Danny Garcia scored a 9th round stoppage over Brandon Rios in a scheduled 12-round welterweight bout at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
It was a fan-friendly fight with Garcia dominating the action with right hands and body work in the middle of the ring. Rios kept on coming and landed some good right hands when he was able to trap Garcia on the ropes, but those moments were few and far between.
In round nine, Garcia landed a booming right hand to the jaw that bent Rios over back and falling to the canvas. Rios got to his feet, but he stumbled toward referee Kenny Bayless, and the fight was stopped at 2:25.
Garcia, 146.5 lbs of Philadelphia is now 34-1 with 20 knockouts. Rios, 146.5 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 34-4-1.
“I felt the ring rust a little bit in the beginning,” said Garcia, who recorded the 20th knockout of his career. “He’s a good inside fighter and he was giving me some good uppercuts. I felt good, it was a good nine rounds. He came to fight. I came to box, I did that. I came to bang, and I gave the fans what they wanted – a knockout.
“I just noticed when I was getting my punches off he was standing right in front of me and I just let it go. As soon as I got the fight in the middle of the ring where I wanted I landed good shots. I was just letting my hands go and the punch landed.”
“The loss was tough. I have the mindset of a winner,” Garcia said. “I hate losing. I took it like a true champion and I bounced back like a true champion.
“I would love the rematch with Keith Thurman. It’s on him. Whenever he’s ready we’ll fight.”
“I’m mad. I don’t like going out like that,” Rios said. “I’m a warrior, I got back up and I wanted to continue. I guess they stopped it but I’m mad. I’m mad because I got up.
“I was doing good. I got lazy with the jab and he came over with the right hand and he caught me. I’m a warrior. I’m still in the game. I didn’t think he did much to hurt me. I think it was closer than what he thought it was. He just caught me with a lucky punch. I was ready to continue.”
David Benavidez retained the WBC Super Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ronald Gavril in a rematch of a fight from September, also won by Benavidez.
Benavidez landed hard and crisp shot that backed up Gavril. Gavril was able to get in a good shot, but he wasbeing out landsed three and four to one in most occurrences. In round four, Benavidez rocked Gavril with a hard right. In round five, Gavril began to bleed from his nose.
Benavidez had Gavril in trouble in several rounds over the second half of the fight, but Gavril showed an iron chin, and kept in trying until the final bell.
Benavidez, 167 lbs of Phoenix, AZ won by scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109 to remain perfect at 20-0. Gavril, 167.25 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 18-3.
“I knew he was going to come aggressive. He’s a one-trick opponent,” Benavidez said. “I knew I could jab and box him all day. When I saw the opening I took it. I didn’t knock him out though – he’s a tough son of a gun.
“Both my hands hurt but I have that warrior’s mentality so I kept pushing.
“I want to be the best in division. So whoever they put in front of me that’s what I want to do.
“He tried to box me on the outside,” Gavril said. “It was good fight. He was the better man tonight. What can I say? I want to go back in the gym and come back stronger.”
Yordenis Ugas punched his ticket to an eventual title shot scored a 7th round stoppage over Ray Robinson in a schedule 12-round welterweight fight.
In round one, Ugas landed a hard right that dropped Robinson. At the end of round four, Robinson dropped Ugas, but the punch came after the bell, and Robinson was deducted a point.
In round seven, Ugas landed a perfect right hand that sent Robinson to the canvas. Robinson was shaken up, and Ugas saw that so the Cuban jumped all over Robinson by landing seven hard right hands in the corner before referee Robert Byrd stopped the bout at
Ugas, 147 lbs of Santiago, CUB is 21-3 with 10 knockouts. Robinson, 146 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3.
“I felt like I was the stronger fighter by far and he didn’t hurt me. He lost a point for hitting me after the bell sounded, and knocked me down, but even that didn’t hurt me. He was very awkward and his style threw off my timing.
“Luckily I was able to land body shots that I knew were hurting him. I was able to dictate the pace and we never in trouble.
“I want Errol Spence next. Everyone wants Errol.”
