Ryan Garcia needs only 1:20 to knock out Francisco Fonseca
True stars don’t just win. They make statements. And that’s what Ryan Garcia did on Friday night at Honda Center in Anaheim, California on DAZN.
The popular lightweight contender needed only one punch to end his fight against Francisco Fonseca, a left hook that knocked Fonseca flat on his back and out only 1 minute, 20 seconds into the scheduled 12-round fight.
It was Garcia’s second consecutive first-round knockout. He stopped Romero Duno 1:38 into their fight in November.
“I saw the left hook. I was there,” Garcia said. I just needed to let him commit to a shot, let him get comfortable. I caught him right between the shot. It was a perfect left hook. That’s what they call it.”
Ryan Garcia celebrates with Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya (far right) of Golden Boy Promotions after stopping Francisco Fonseca. Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos-Golden Boy Promotions
By comparison, in two junior lightweight title fights, Fonseca (25-3-2, 19 KOs) was stopped in eight rounds by Gervonta Davis and lost a 12-round decision to Tevin Farmer.
What’s next for Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs?
The rising star’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, apparently has arranged for Garcia to fight Jorge Linares in July at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Linares looked sharp en route to stopping Carlos Morales on the Garcia-Fonseca undercard.
“I said if he had a good performance, I’d fight him,” Garcia said of Linares.
That’s a dangerous fight for Garcia. Linares, a three-division titleholder, is a proven commodity. But Garcia is bursting with confidence. He has a blueprint for this year that should, if he’s successful, make him a true star.
“I had a plan for 2020 and that was to shock the world,” he said. “So to shock the world I’ll beat Linares, beat Luke Campbell, beat Gervonta Davis and then go after Devin [Haney].”