LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – In what has to be considered the early front runner for upset of the year, previously unheralded Hector Luis Garcia launched himself onto the world stage with a one-sided twelve-round unanimous decision win over former interim champion Chris Colbert on Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. With the win, Garcia claims the WBA #1 ranking and sets up a showdown with WBA super featherweight champion Roger Gutierrez.
Colbert (16-1, 6 KOs) of Broolyn, New York got off to a solid start and through three rounds, his speed appeared to be too much for Garcia to handle. Garcia came to life in fourth, but Colbert was up to the challenge, thwarting most rallies with his speed and elusiveness.
In the sixth, Garcia (15-0, 10 KOs) of San Juan de la Maguana, San Juan, Dominican Republic landed some of his more telling blows up to that point in the fight. In the seventh, Garcia, 129.6, landed a picture perfect counter left that rocked Colbert’s world and dropped the Brooklyn native to the shock of the crowd on hand. With only seconds remaining, Colbert, 128.8, evaded enough to last to the eighth.
Garcia continued to pressure Colbert as the bell to begin the eighth was done sounding. Colbert returned fire as the round came to a close, but it was too late to take the stanza on the cards. Colbert rebounded to great effect in the ninth, landing the more telling blows in the round. However, Garcia came back and dominated much of the action in the tenth. The intensity turned up in the eleventh as fights waged in the crowd, Garcia showed Colbert up in the middle of the ring for moving and retreating. When the fight resumed, Garcia continued his consistent attack with little regard for any return fire. In the twelfth, Colbert lost the support of some of the crowd as he avoided Garcia at nearly all costs, when the situation called for a complete sell-out to attempt to salvage the victory.
When the fight came to its merciful end for Colbert, Garcia had upset the applecart with scores of 119-109 and 118-109 twice. For Colbert it is back to the drawing board and perhaps some second guessing of his decision to fight rather than wait for the title opportunity he had already secured. Now that title opportunity goes to Garcia, who with how he handled Colbert, has to be considered a real threat to Gutierrez’ hold on the WBA belt.
Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland scored the biggest knockout and win of his emerging career, halting former champion Viktor Postol (31-3, 12 KOs) of Marina Del Rey, California by way of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine in the tenth.
By midway through the fight both fighters had their moments, with neither distancing themselves from the other in any meaningful way. In the seventh round Russell, 139.4, started out more aggressively, as Postol, 140.6, slowed his output. As the fight went to the ninth, Russell’s face looked the worse for wear as Postol picked his spots and landed clean.
Russell came out inspired in the tenth, pressuring Postol around the ring and landing with hard blows. In what looked to be a premature stoppage, based on the conditions of the fight and considering the fighter in question, referee Michael Ortega stepped in at 2:31 of the tenth with Postol taking combinations on the ropes.
With the win, Russell claimed the vacant WBA Continental Americas light welterweight title and may find himself one win away from a world title opportunity.
Previously largely unknown Fernando Daniel Martinez (14-0, 8 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina ended the longest active title reign in boxing by outwilling a great champion in Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2, 22 KOs) of Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines over twelve action-packed rounds en route to a unanimous decision to claim the IBF super flyweight title.
After a tactical first round, Ancajas, 114.6, came with a dedicated body attack that began to slow Martinez’ aggression in the second. However, Martinez, 114.6, rebounded to exchange on mostly even terms in the third until Ancajas uncorked a combination that staggered the Argentinian near the end of the round.
The fourth and fifth featured excellent two-way action and even though Martinez’ face sprung a small leak, it was the Argentinian that came on strongest with a series of left hands.
Ancajas struggled to keep up with Martinez’ output as the fight wore on through the middle rounds. Martinez continually loaded up with his left while Ancajas looked for openings. The Filipino champion closed out the eighth well, placing stiff blows between Martinez’ guard.
Undeterred, Martinez came on strong in the eighth and ninth, loading up on head shots as Ancajas struggled to fend off the onslaught. The younger Martinez refused to let off the gas pedal through the end of the bout, but the veteran Ancajas showed the resiliency that aided his long title reign. After great two-way action to close the bout, it was Martinez that was crowned champion by scores of 117-111 and 118-110 twice.
Claudio Marrero (26-5, 18 KOs) of Santo Domingo, Districto National, Dominican Republic won a hard-fought eight-round majority decision over previously unbeaten Viktor Slavinskyi (13-1-1, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine.
Marrero, 130.8, got out to a hot start, keeping Slavinskyi, 129, at bay with his hard jab and stringing his combinations together in support. Midway through the fight Slavinskyi found more success landing clean, but it was ultimately Marrero’s early lead and strong workrate that carried the fight. One judge had the fight even at 76-76, but was overruled by the scores of 78-74 and 77-75. With the win, Marrero keeps himself alive as a potential opponent for a name adversary after having previously fought just one stay-busy bout since a decision defeat in a title eliminator against Xavier Martinez in 2020.
Powerfully built lightweight prospect Justin Cardona (7-0, 4 KOs) of Salinas, California beat down a game, but overmatched Joshua Draughter (4-2-1, 1 KO) of New Orleans, Louisiana before scoring a third-round stoppage.
Early in the first, a quick right hand scored a flash knockdown for Cardona, 132.6, when one of Draughter’s gloves touched the canvas as a result of the punch. Draughter, 130, seemed bothered every time he was touched by a lead left hand. Cardona continually found a home for his right hand as well, as evidenced by the swelling that quickly came to be near Draughter’s left eye.
After another punishing second round, Cardona tried to end matters with just about every punch he threw in the third. Without much coming in return from Draughter, the referee called a halt to the bout at 1:31 of the round, despite mild protest from the Louisiana native.
Local favorite Angel Barrientes (8-1, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas continued his rise back to prominence as a top prospect with a third-round technical knockout over Brian Cannady (10-3, 6 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida.
Barrientes, 121.6, came out placing some well-timed shots as Cannady, 119.8, was willing to throw in the early part of the opening round. As the round progressed, Cannady shifted to a defense first approach, covering up behind a high guard. Barrientes turned down the output and looked to pick his shots. Early in the second, Barrientes backed up Cannady and landed two overhand right to drop the Floridian along the ropes. Looking to regain his legs, Cannady looked to hold on the inside, but Barrientes did well to keep space for the most part.
Early in the third, a couple well-timed body shots backed Cannady into the ropes again. As Cannady struggled to stay up right and fell, he tackled Barrientes on his way down. Referee Michael Ortega, noticing the trend of the fight, chose this moment to call a halt to the bout at 1:31of the third round. Barrientes has now won five straight after suffering his lone pro defeat. For Cannady it was his third straight defeat after beginning his career 10-0.
In the opening bout of the evening, 19-year-old light middleweight prospect Micky Scala (5-0, 3 KOs) of Mesa, Arizona fired up a large gathering of his fans in an action-packed two-round stoppage of sturdy Jose Gomez Jr. (3-2, 3 KOs) of Concord, California.
Scala, 153.6, and Gomez, 150.8, came out ready to trade in a back-and-forth opening stanza. Gomez seemed to get a few more hard left hands in during the first half round of trading on the inside. Scala, who had a large cheering section from Arizona, was the first to hold on the inside, rather than throw punch-for-punch. Both fighters returned to their corner red-faced from the onslaught each brought.
Maybe something his corner said after the first fired up Scala, because he came out guns blazing from the opening ding. Finally a right hand on the inside dropped Gomez. The game combatant from Concord rose, but a series of unanswered punches caused a halt to the action in a neutral corner at 1:18 of the round.
Photos by Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @MarioG280
