By Kenneth Friedman: In a destructive performance, Ryan ‘Kingry’ Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) defended his WBC Silver 135-lb belt in beating challenger Francisco Fonseca (25-3-2, 19 KOs) by a 1st round knockout last Friday night on February 14. The fight was shown on DAZN
Immediately after the fight, Garcia revealed that he wants to beat Jorge Linares, Luke Campbell and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis to shock the world in 2020.
Ryan Garcia never gave Fonseca a chance to land
Garcia more than proved his doubters wrong in knocking the normally tough-chinned 25-year-old Fonseca (25-3-2, 19 KOs) out with a left hook in front of a shocked crowd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. This was Ryan’s Valentine’s Day present to his fans that had turned out to see him fight live.
Fonseca couldn’t get up after he was sent down back first on the canvas after getting caught with a left hook from ‘Kingry’ Garcia. Although Fonseca tried to get up, referee Thomas Taylor stopped it on the spot. Time of the stoppage was at 2:09. This was another 1st round knockout for Garcia, who has suddenly become a one-punch knockout artist at 21.
Jorge Linares next for Ryan
Garcia’s next opponent will be Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) in May on DAZN. The former three division world champion Linares, 34, did his part to get that fight by stopping former Kingry opponent Carlos Morales (19-5-5, 8 KOs) in a 4th round knockout in the chief support last Friday night. Morales was knocked down twice in the fight.
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) is expected to face Javier Fortuna for the vacant WBC lightweight title in the first half of 2020. The fact that Ryan is already mentioning Campbell’s name as one of his opponents this year means he thinks he’ll beat Fortuna.
Garcia predicting wins over Linares, Campbell & Gervonta
“I’ve said it, I’ve proclaimed it, and now I’m just trying to do it. I said in 2020, I want to shock the world,” said Ryan Garcia after his win over Fonseca. “I know the work I do, and I know how good I am. I’m going to shock the world when I beat Linares, and I’m really going to shock the world when I beat [Luke] Campbell, and I’m going to take over the world when I beat Gervonta,” Ryan said.
“It’s through all the hard work I’m doing. I’m not taking no shortcuts,” Kingry Garcia said. “I could tell you what I’m doing, but it’s just down and dirty. I’m just going to get better, and I’m not even happy. I’m focused for 2020. It was a good performance. I hope you guys are happy. Keep watching. It’s going to be great each time,” said Garcia.
That’s a tall order for Ryan to beat Linares, Campbell and Tank Davis in 2020. Garcia is effectively going to be running the gauntlet this year, and anywhere along the line, he could get beaten.
Campbell, 5’9″, is as tall as Garcia, and can punch almost as well. He’s a southpaw, and it might not be as easy for Ryan to catch him with shots as it was his last two opponents Fonseca and Romero Duno.
Ryan Garcia: I don’t know if Linares can keep up with me
“Linares will give me some work,” Ryan Garcia said. “I’m expecting him to give me some work. He’s fast, he’s explosive. It’s not impossible to get hit. Some sparring matches I get hit with a shot, but it ain’t nothing new to me, so I’m not afraid of it.
“So if he catches me with some s—, just know that I’m going to catch him with some s—. I don’t know if he can keep up with me, because I’m coming for him,” said Ryan about Linares.
Kingry Garcia just needs to be careful of Linares’ speed, and explosive power. He’s unpredictable when he’s throwing punches, and he doesn’t leave himself open by rushing forward as much as a lot of the fighters that Garcia has been in with. Linares’ straight right is what makes him so dangerous.
He throws a jab to the midsection of his opponents, and then follows that with a right hand to the head. That combination proved to be too much for Morales last Friday night. If Ryan underestimates Linares’ ability, he could wind up getting stopped as fast as Morales did.
Ryan’s punch resistance is likely no better than Morales or any of the other fighters that Linares has stopped during his career. For that reason, Ryan will need to make sure he doesn’t get hit by Linares, because he will go down if he gets nailed on the button.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIzbzK-td2A