In the main event of the Golden Boy Promotions card that streamed live on DAZN, Ryan Garcia made a successful return to the ring as he defeated Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) via eighth round knockout, and en route to victory, Garcia showed a new wrinkle in his game.
During the course of the contest, which lasted 8-rounds, there were moments in which Ryan Garcia looked extremely sharp with his offense. On the other hand, Garcia also had moments where he looked a little shaky on defense, but in the end, Garcia was able to post an impressive knockout victory.
Back in April 2023, Ryan Garcia stepped inside the squared circle to face his arch-rival Gervonta “Tank” Davis. It was one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the year, but unfortunately for Garcia, he lost by way of 7th-round knockout.
Eight months later, Garcia was ready to get back in the ring and get his boxing career back on track. In a surprise move, Garcia decided to select the hard-hitting Oscar Duarte as his opponent for his return bout.
On fight night, Ryan Garcia came out in the opening round using lateral movement, pumping his jab, and looking to land the uppercut. The pressure fighter Oscar Duarte was pressing forward, trying to close the distance as he was able to land a solid left-hand shot at the midway point of the round.
In the second round, Garcia continued to feature his jab along with the right hand. His opponent, Oscar Duarte, had his best moment of the second round when he was able to connect with a sweeping left hook.
In the third round, Garcia debuted his version of the Mayweather shoulder roll defense, which was originally tagged the Philly shell. As the fight progressed, Garcia continued to use the shoulder roll, but his execution was awkward due to the fact that he consistently turned his back to his opponent.
In the 5th round, Garcia continued to implement the shoulder roll, and he paid the price as Duarte landed two hard left hooks. Garcia went on to use his ugly version of the shoulder roll in the sixth round, and Duarte capitalized once again by landing the double left hook.
Fast forward to the eighth round, and with 32 seconds left to go in the round, Garcia buzzed Duarte when he landed his signature check left hook. Garcia proceeded to land a flurry of shots that sent Duarte down to the canvas. Duarte failed to get up, and Garcia was declared the winner by way of knockout.
The highlight of the night was the fact that Ryan Garcia made a successful return to the ring after suffering his first career loss. Another popular talking point was Garcia’s awkward version of the shoulder roll.
Garcia’s coach, Derrick James, is not known for teaching the shoulder roll, so obviously, it was a defensive posture that Garcia chose to utilize. During the post-fight press conference, Garcia shared Derrick James’ opinion of Garcia’s variation of the shoulder roll.
“Derrick told me never to do that,” Garcia said. He was like don’t do that sh*t, you ain’t Mayweather. He will never admit that, but he did say that.”
When asked where it came from, Garcia responded by saying, “I was just doing it, like I was just like, alright, let me see if this works.”
Overall, it was a successful night for Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) as he scored a knockout victory over a very tough opponent. Next up for Garcia could be a shot at a super-lightweight world title, as Garcia has the WBA champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero on his radar.
