Ryan Garcia will take a confidence-builder fight on December 2nd against little-known lightweight Oscar Duarte live on DAZN in San Antonio, Texas.
This will be Ryan’s first fight with his new trainer Derrick James, and it’ll be interesting to see if he fires him immediately after if he loses or fails to shine.
Duarte has an 11-fight winning steak since losing in 2018, albeit against obscure fighters with poor records.
In looking at some of Duarte’s fights, he’s very, very slow in hand & foot, and and should be an easy win for Ryan. Despite never having beaten anyone of note during his ten-year professional career, Duarte is ranked #10 at lightweight.
Duarte has a little bit of power, but his glacially slow hand speed will make him an easy mark for Ryan.
It’s a good idea for Ryan’s December 2nd fight not to be placed on PPV because he’s coming off a KO loss, and his opponent is a guy that most boxing fans have never heard of.
Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya says Ryan’s next fight after the rebuilding match against Duarte could be a big one in early 2024. Oscar is interested in having Ryan challenge WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez for his title in February.
If not Teo, De La Hoya has another fight, which could be for the WBA 140-lb belt against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero if he’s still holding the title by then. Rolly is a more winnable fight for Ryan, but even that match-up would still be viewed as a long shot.
In the leaked sparring video, Ryan was getting shelled by Rolly, and it wasn’t pretty to watch. It was worse than what Tank Davis did to Ryan, as he seemed to be taking it easy on him until knocking him out with a body shot last April.
De La Hoya calls this a “proper fight” for the 25-year-old social media star Ryan Garcia, which some would argue is code talk to mean mismatch.
The 27-year-old Duarte’s only career defeat came against Adrian Estrella, a fighter who was destroyed in four rounds by Subriel Matias and in one round by Shohjahon Ergashev.
This is the first fight for the Golden Boy-promoted light welterweight contender Ryan (23-1, 10 KOs) since he was knocked out last April by Gervonta Davis.
“Here you have a guy who’s coming off eleven knockouts in a row,” Golden Boy chief honcho Oscar De La Hoya told Mike Coppinger about Ryan Garcia’s little-known opponent Oscar Duarte for his comeback fight on December 2nd on DAZN.
“There’s a guy who’s a power puncher who’s going to come forward and make Ryan fight. It’s the proper fight after a knockout loss to Gervonta.”
“I would love to talk to Bob to see what’s going on with him and Teofimo,” said De La Hoya about his interest in speaking with Top Rank boss Bob Arum about putting a fight together between WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia for Super Bowl weekend for February 10th, 2024.
RYAN GARCIA, INTERNATIONAL BOXING STAR AND SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CONTENDER:
“Everything I’ve got, I’ve thrown into this fight. It’s like, for the first time in forever, I’m all in. You know, 2021 was that year that kinda knocked me down. Then 2022 rolls in, switches things up for me, and bam, 2023 opens my eyes. I’m on a mission to reclaim everything, with this laser-like focus, and that’s where I’m drawing my confidence from.”
OSCAR DUARTE, SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CONTENDER:
“Hey everyone, good afternoon. Super pumped to be here, just soaking up every second. This was once just a dream, now it’s my reality. Come this Saturday, you’ll see the best of me. Got an amazing team backing me up, and this Saturday, I’m all set for a victory.”
FLOYD SCHOFIELD, WBA LIGHTWEIGHT INTERNATIONAL TITLEHOLDER:
“Hey folks, I’m just stoked about this opportunity. Huge shoutout to Golden Boy, Cameron Davies, and my dad – they’re the reason I’m here. I see Saturday as a stepping stone to blast my name across the 135 division. Expect a show with some serious fireworks this Saturday. Thank you!”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“This fight card? It’s just jam-packed with insane talent we’ve been scouting and grooming to be the next wave of world champs. Trust me, you don’t wanna skip this one.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, PARTNER OF GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
“This is it, the big moment. As we wrap up 2023 and head into 2024, it’s time for our fighters to step up, show they’re top dog material. They’ve got this shot to show they’re main event material.”
Garcia – Duarte Undercard
The co-main event sees Ohara “Two Tanks” Davies (25-2, 18 KOs) from London, jumping into the American ring for the first time as a Golden Boy fighter. He’s up against Venezuela’s El Tigre, Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs), in a 12-round skirmish for the WBA Super Lightweight Interim World Championship.
Now, for a dash of rising stardom: Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (15-0, 11 KOs) of Austin, Texas, is defending his WBA Lightweight International Champion title. He’s squaring up against Ricardo “Explosivo” Torres (17-7-3, 12 KOs) from Tijuana, Mexico in a 10-rounder that’s sure to spark fireworks. Remember Schofield’s last fight, a genuine thriller against Haskell Rhodes? Expect that level of excitement, presented by Davies Entertainment.
Shane Mosley Jr. (20-4, 11 KOs), the NABO Middleweight Champion, is gearing up for a showdown with Joshua Conley (17-5-1, 11 KOs) from San Bernardino in a 10-round battle. Fresh off his knockout victory over D’Mitrius Ballard, Mosley Jr. is all set to turn up the heat.
Let’s not forget Houston’s own Darius Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs), a knockout artist ready to dazzle his home crowd in an eight-round light heavyweight fight. He’s facing Pachino “Chino” Hill (8-4-1, 6 KOs) of Davenport, Iowa. With this being Fulghum’s sixth fight in 2023, he’s proving to be one of boxing’s most active up-and-comers.
Kicking things off, Golden Boy Fight Night: Garcia vs. Duarte Prelims will stream on Golden Boy’s YouTube Channel. Asa “Ace” Stevens (5-0, 2 KOs) from Waianae, Hawaii, is set for a four-round super bantamweight scrap with Dominque Griffin (5-5-2, 2 KOs) of Irving, Texas. And, Gael “El Terror” Cabrera (2-0, 1 KO), the former Mexican Olympian, steps back into the ring for a four-rounder against Alejandro Dominguez (2-0, 1 KO) from Las Vegas, Nevada. Plus, Sean Garcia (5-0, 2 KOs) of Victorville, California, is ready to impress in a four-round bout against an opponent to be revealed.
Garcia vs. Duarte Fight Night -Start Times
Q: So, when’s this Garcia vs. Duarte showdown happening?
- A: Gear up, folks! Saturday, December 2, LIVE on DAZN is the day these two go head-to-head. You better not blink..
Q: What’s the start time ?
- A: Oh, it’s starting at the oh-so-convenient time of 2am CET, 1am UK, and 8pm ET. Perfect for all you night creatures and boxing junkies!
Q: Main event – when’s that?
- A: Garcia and Duarte are set to grace us with their presence around 5am CET, 4am UK, and 11pm ET. But who knows with the undercard – might be earlier, might be later. Keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it?
Q: Can I catch this epic battle on DAZN?
- A: Absolutely! DAZN’s streaming it live in over 200 countries. But hey, if you’re in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, remember to download the app. No shortcuts for you!.
Q: Where’s this fight happening?
- A: It’s going down at the Toyota Arena in Houston, Texas. Because where else would you host a brawl this big?
Q: Give me those sweet betting odds.
- A: As of November 27, 2023, DraftKings has Ryan Garcia as the hot favorite at -425, with Oscar Duarte as the daring underdog at +295. Bet at your own risk!.
Q: And the rest of the fight card – what’s the hype?
A: Oh, it’s stacked:
- Garcia vs. Duarte – the main course.
- Ohara Davies vs. Ismael Barroso – for those who love a good title scrap.
- Floyd Schofield vs. Ricardo Torres – lightweights ready to light up the ring.
- Shane Mosley Jr. vs. Joshua Conley – middleweight madness.
- Darius Fulghum vs. Pachino Hill – light heavyweights bringing the thunder.
- Asa Stevens vs. Dominque Griffin – junior featherweights showing off.
- Gael Cabrera vs. Alejandro Dominguez – bantamweights adding spice.
- Sean Garcia vs. Who Knows?