The best punch trackers on the market
5th August 2022
By: Michael Frank
Over the weekend lightweight sensation Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) made his return to the ring after a 15-month layoff and earned a unanimous decision over the scrappy Emmanuel “Gameboy” Tagoe (32-2, 15 KOs) out of Ghana. Golden Boy Promotions’ “Golden Goose” was far from perfect, but in his first professional fight to go a full twelve rounds, Garcia showed poise and resilience. In front of 14,459 energetic fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Garcia easily out pointed Tagoe on the scorecards, (119-108 twice and 118-109). The California native loves fighting in Texas and always packs the stadium. Garcia stated, “I have a lot of love for San Antonio, I was received by such a great crowd. It’s a blessing.”
Garcia has been absent from the ring since his electrifying seventh round KO against Luke Campbell at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas in January 2021. After surviving a scare in the second round where Campbell stunned him with a looping left hook to the chin, Garcia ended the fight with a brutal body shot.
Since the Campbell fight, it’s been an uphill battle both mentally and physically for “King Ry.” He has been very open on social media- with his 8.7 million followers- about his struggles with depression. On top of the mental health issues, Garcia has dealt with hand and wrist injuries that required surgery. And, to add the cherry on top, Garcia ended his relationship with renowned trainer Eddy Reynoso. Reynoso’s top fighter and Superstar Canelo Alvarez even threw dirt on the divorce, suggesting that Garcia wasn’t willing to put in the work to become a champion. He has since moved on and now has veteran Joe Goosen in his corner. At the weigh-in Goosen was quick to praise his new fighter.
“We get along really well, and that made my job a lot easier. He’s an incredible athlete, he’s a special talent and I can’t wait to see him perform.”
Garcia was active from the first bell, chasing Tagoe all over the ring. In round two he connected on a right hand that briefly sent Tagoe to the canvas. Tagoe was quick to argue that it was a push that created the knockdown. Garcia used his reach to land combinations in the early rounds but Tagoe was quick to tie up every chance he got. During those tie-ups Garcia was able to land body shots at a constant pace.
Garcia seemed to be in control through the first six rounds, if not winning all six of those rounds. In the seventh Tagoe found a small window of success landing an overhand right that created a buzz in the Alamodome. Ultimately, Garcia controlled the rhythm and speed of the fight, while Tagoe did his best to slow it down and keep it in the inside. In the later rounds the whole stadium could tell Garcia wanted to land that knockout shot. He was relentless with pressure, he landed a flurry of combinations but ultimately couldn’t land the knockout blow.
Garcia told reporters, “He was making it difficult for me to end it. He was crafty with the holding, and he was moving a lot. I wanted to knock him out, but he was very crafty. At the moment, I could feel like I hurt him, but he can really take a punch.”
Ryan Garcia, his team, and Golden Boy Promotions will look to keep the momentum going and get him back in the ring ASAP. At only 23 years old he still has room to grow but staying active should remain the top priority.
CHECK OUT THE BEST PUNCH TRACKERS ON THE MARKET
In the co-main event of the evening, Shane Mosely Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs) dominated Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-round bout for Rosado’s WBA Continental Americas super middleweight title. The early rounds started off slow as both fighters were feeling out their opponent. Mosley Jr, son of “Sugar” Shane Mosley, started to gain momentum using his reach and speed after the slow early rounds. “King” Rosado is trained by the legendary Freddie Roach and typically uses his grit and power shots to control fights. This was not one of those fights. After a vicious knockout over Bek “The Bully” and a toe-to-toe loss to Jaime Munguia in his last two fights, father time may be creeping up on the fan favorite from Philadelphia, PA.
Mosley Jr. deserves the credit after easily earning the majority decision victory regardless of the outlier score of 95-95. The final round was the most entertaining with Rosado’s only chance at victory being a KO, but Mosley Jr. remained patient and landed the better shots even with Rosado going for the kill.
After the fight Mosley Jr. told reporters that, “They know who I am now, Gabriel is a great champ. We have to see what’s available. Right now, 168 is tied up. Canelo has all the belts. Unless he vacates or fights someone else. I mean who’s going to turn down Canelo. I moved up to 168 for the opportunity.”
In one of the more exciting fights of the night the WBC flyweight world champ Marlen Esparza (11-1) earned the unanimous decision victory over the scrappy WBA flyweight title holder Naoko Fujioka (19-2-1). The bout also had the inaugural Ring Magazine belt on the line. Esparza walked away with three belts at the end of the night becoming the unified flyweight champ.
This was no cake walk for Esparza, Fujioka came out strong in the early rounds setting the pace of the toe-to-toe fight. It was the middle rounds where we really saw Esparza land some solid shots. She showed great composure after the aggressive style was set early on. Her defense was impressive, often slipping punches when Fujioka would try to control the inside. The last couple of rounds were electric in the Alamodome, you could hear Esparza fans in the crowd from her hometown and nearby Houston, Texas.
The scorecards of 100-90 twice and 97-93 for Esparza should leave a bad taste in the mouths of the Fujioka supporters. She was completely in the fight, but Esparza seemed to land more accurate and powerful shots throughout the fight.
After the fight Esparza had this to say “It wasn’t tough because of the punches but more because she was smothering. I’m just grateful I could have this experience not only for women’s boxing but for my fans and really solidify the division. I really want the next two belts. I’m happy for the future.”
THE BOXING GAME YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!
Azat Hovhannisyan vs. Dagoberto Agüero
The DAZN opener of the evening featured featherweights “Crazy A” Azat Hovhannisyan (21-3, 17 KOs) and Dominican Republic’s Dagoberto Aguero (15-2, 10 KOs). During the weigh in the two fighters stood forehead to forehead, foreshadowing an explosive matchup. An explosive matchup is exactly what we got, but after a fast non-stop first round “Crazy A” ended it early in the second round. He scored two knockdowns in that second round and proved to be too powerful for Aguero. Hovhannisyan earned the TKO victory and really energized the San Antonio crowd.
Other fights on the night:
Patrick Teixeira (31-3, 22 KOs) vs. Paul Valenzuela (27-11, 17 KOs)
Valenzuela was ruled winner by disqualification after two back of the head shots from Teixeira.
Gregory Morales (13-1, 8 KOs) vs. Katsuma Akitsugi (9-0, 1 KOs)
Unanimous decision victory for Japan’s Akitsugi over the hometown Morales. (78-74 twice and 80-72)
Tristan Kalkreuth (9-1, 7 KOs) vs. Santander Silgado (30-12, 24 KOs)
Tristan “Sweet Tea” Kalkreuth scored a second round KO victory in his first fight back since June of 2021. The rising prospect was coming off shoulder surgery and made a statement in his first fight as a heavyweight.
George Rincon (13-0, 7 KOs) vs. Alejandro Frias (13-6-2)
Rincon won by majority decision after a brutal fight that saw both a headbutt and a tackle from Frias. With blood coming down his face, Rincon from Dallas, Texas, battled it out to remain undefeated.
Hector Valdez Jr (15-0, 8 KOs) vs. Daniel Moncada (15-6-2, 5 KOs)
Valdez Jr. remained undefeated earning the unanimous decision victory in the eight-round contest. The Dallas, Texas, super bantamweight scored a fifth-round knockdown on his way to a decisive win.
Santos Ortega (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Jesus Martinez (30-16-1, 15 KOs)
TKO victory by Ortega in the second-round.
Photo Credit: Tom Hogan-Golden Boy Promotions
