MIKEY GARCIA DEFEATS JESSE VARGAS & CALLS OUT MANNY PACQUIAO FOR JULY
By DAZN Boxing
What a mega bout that would be. Mikey Garcia didn’t mince words following his unanimous decision victory over Jessie Vargas on Saturday night. He wants a shot at Manny Pacquiao and believes his performance against Vargas was enough to grant him just that.
“I’m ready to get back in with the best,” Garcia told DAZN’s Chris Mannix in the ring at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, following his victory. “I would love to get an opportunity to fight Manny Pacquiao or rematch against Errol Spence. I think it would be a tremendous fight. I’m a little bit better now at this weight class.”
Garcia later referenced a potential showdown with Pacquiao specifically, saying he’s ready to take on the WBA welterweight champ.
“I think it’s very likely that we’re considered as a likely opponent because we proved ourself to be able to compete against one of the bigger, former world champs of the division,” Garcia tacked on, referring to his win over Vargas.
The four-division world champion also doubled down on wanting a chance at Pacquiao during his post-fight press conference by saying the bout has been a long time in the making.
“I’m ready to fight anybody, but the fight with Manny has been talked about for many years,” Garcia said. “It has been brought up here and there and I think after tonight’s performance, they’ll consider that a great matchup.”
Garcia added: “He’s a living legend. It would be tremendous, it would be a great thing for my legacy to get in the ring with an all-time great like Manny.”
Garcia’s words and action in the ring followed promoter Eddie Hearn saying he wants to line Garcia up with a shot against Pacquiao. During the post-fight press conference, Hearn said that he’ll be working diligently to cement a Pacquiao fight for Garcia, adding that Saudi Arabia in the summer would be an enticing location for such a mega clash.
“That’s what my attention is going to be turned to over the next couple of weeks — trying to put a deal together for Mikey that he’s happy with to take that fight and try to make sure that Manny Pacquiao is in for that fight,” Hearn said. “I think it’s probably one of the best fights in boxing.”
Hearn was even beating on the drum for a Pacquiao-Garcia fight prior to Garcia’s victory over Vargas.
“I’ve made no secret that our preference if Mikey Garcia would be triumphant is to make that Manny Pacquiao fight in July,” Hearn told Mannix on Friday before Garcia’s win.
Garcia furthered his case for a Pacquiao fight Saturday night, when he overcame early struggles to score a fifth-round knockdown, which powered his win. The victory marked Garcia’s first at welterweight and redemption from his shutout loss to Spence last March.
Whether the win over Vargas is enough to entice Pacquiao into a fight remains to be seen, but Hearn is going to try to do his part to make the bout happen. Last year, Garcia signed a short-term deal with the Matchroom Boxing USA president to fight on DAZN.
It didn’t look good early, but Garcia gets the job done vs. Vargas.
People were extremely skeptical of Mikey Garcia staying at welterweight ahead of his bout against Jessie Vargas on Saturday night.
For the first three rounds, those doubts appeared to be the correct assessment. But Garcia showed why he’s one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, dropping Vargas in the fifth and then dominate from that point forward to win by unanimous decision (116-111, 116-111, 114-113) at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. DAZN News scored it 115-112 for Garcia.
“As the fight went on, I started hurting him,” Garcia said in his post-fight interview. “I started closing the gap and feeling better with the rhythm and timing, and it worked out well.”
Early on, Vargas proved he was the bigger man by staying on the outside, snapping off the jab, and using his power to keep Garcia at bay. Things were looking similar to when Garcia was dominated last March by IBF 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr.
But the complexion of the entire bout changed in the fifth round when Garcia landed a crisp left jab and then a sharp right to send Vargas to the canvas. It was all Garcia from there. He was the one backing up Vargas with his power and fighting off the jab to earn his first win at welterweight.
What’s next for the 32-year-old? Big fights and big fights only.
“I think I have great options,” Garcia said. “I’m ready to get back in with the best. I would love to fight against Manny Pacquiao, or a rematch with Errol Spence. I’m better now at this weight class. I want to continue to campaign at 147 and seek a title in a fifth division.”
MIKEY GARCIA VS. JESSIE VARGAS RESULTS
(All times Eastern)
Round 12: An exciting final round as each guy landed hard left hooks to stun each other, but Vargas was the aggressor. Too little, too late. Time for the judges’ scores. (10-9 Vargas, 115-112 Garcia)
Round 11: Vargas had his moments, finding a home for the overhand right and the left hand. He needs a knockout to win. (10-9 Vargas, 106-102 Garcia)
Round 10: Garcia nearly scored another knockdown to seal the fight with another left hand and overhand right to the ear to buckle Vargas for a moment. (10-9 Garcia, 97-92 Garcia)
Round 9: Now we’re seeing the Garcia who has four world titles in four different weight classes. He’s staying patient and fighting off the jab and waiting for Vargas to leave himself open to blast him with the right hand. When does Vargas start going for broke and letting it all hang out? (10-9 Garcia, 87-83 Garcia)
Round 8: Less action in this stanza, and that played into an advantage for Vargas so he could try and rebuild the gas tank a bit. Can he muster one final run as he’s getting beaten down? (10-9 Garcia, 77-74 Garcia)
Round 7: Garcia’s precision and accuracy is a thing of beauty. He’s timing Vargas perfectly and nearly finished it off in the final moments with a barrage of shots. If Garcia had another 30 seconds, it would have been over. Vargas has no pop in his shots. He needs fight off the jab. (10-9 Garcia, 67-65 Garcia)
Round 6: Garcia dictated the entire three minutes while Vargas is still trying to find his legs. He’s the one doing the stalking and making Vargas back up. Vargas doesn’t look right. He looks exhausted and defeated. If this trend continues for the next two or three rounds, I could see the corner stopping it. (10-9 Garcia, 57-56 Garcia)
Round 5: Vargas was in firm control of the opening minute until Garcia wobbled him a bit with a left hand. Then the complexion changed when a Garcia left jab followed by an overhand right to the side of the head put Vargas on shaky legs. Moments later, Garcia went right back to the same combination to send Vargas to the mat. Vargas smiled getting up, and Garcia tried to close it but was unable too. Vargas is in a world of trouble. (10-8 Garcia, 47-47)
Round 4: Vargas is fighting the perfect fight at this point. The jab is on point and he stunned Garcia with a punch. Something to watch: Vargas looked pretty tired walking back to his corner and had blood dripping down his nose. (10-9 Vargas, 39-37 Vargas)
Round 3: That was the best round of Garcia’s short run at welterweight. He got into a rhythm, landing a couple of left jabs and the overhand right. Let’s see if Garcia can continue his success. (10-9 Garcia, 29-28 Garcia)
Round 2: Garcia looked better in the round but Vargas is landing the crisper shots. Liked what I saw from Garcia in the latter stages. He started to find a home with the jab and the right hand. (10-9 Vargas, 20-18 Vargas)
Round 1: Vargas fought a smart round. He let Garcia know he has the reach advantage by popping the jab and then showed the power with a couple of solid left hooks to catch his attention. (10-9 Vargas)
11:13 p.m.: It’s time for the main event as Mikey Garcia battles Jessie Vargas in welterweight action. Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs), a former four-division world champion, attempts to rebound from the first loss of his career at the hands of IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. last March. Standing in the way is the former two-division titleholder in Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KOs), who scored a stoppage win over Humberto Soto in a 150-pound catchweight bout in April.
Can Garcia truly compete at welterweight and secure a big win? Or will Vargas prove size does matter?
ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ SCORES THUNDEROUS KNOCKOUT OF KAL YAFAI TO CAPTURE SUPER FLYWEIGHT TITLE
10:53 p.m.: Gonzalez def. Yafai by knockout at 0:29 of the ninth round to win the WBA super flyweight championship.
After notching a knockdown in the eighth round, Gonzalez didn’t waste time and closed the show in the ninth. He came right at Yafai, threw a left jab and blasted him with his signature thunderous right hand to send Yafai packing. “Chocolatito” makes a successful comeback.
Gonzalez has been written off ever since the losses to Sor Rungvisai. But he had knee issues and the death of his trainer, who was his lifelong mentor. Good to have Gonzalez back where he belongs in the upper echelon of the 115-pound weight class.
JULIO CESAR MARTINEZ BEATS JAY HARRIS IN AN EXCITING FIGHT TO RETAIN WBC TITLE
9:50 p.m.: Martinez def. Harris via unanimous decision (118-109, 116-111, 115-112) to retain the WBC flyweight championship.
One of the most exciting fights of the year. Martinez and Harris fought for 36 minutes in the kitchen sink and neither took a back seat to the other as they threw nearly 1,000 power punches alone. It came down to Martinez landing the harder shots, especially to the body, which resulted in a knockdown in the 10th round.
The style of Martinez makes him of the most dynamic boxers in the sport. He’s electrifying in every way possible and is quickly rising as a must-watch every time he steps into the ring.
JOSEPH PARKER NOTCHES AN IMPRESSIVE STOPPAGE OF SHAWNDELL WINTERS
8:40 p.m.: Parker def. Winters by TKO at 2:40 of the fifth round.
The finishing sequence began with a blistering right hand by Parker that appeared to knock Winters out on his feet. Sensing he had Winters ripe for the taking, the Kiwi blasted him with another right hand followed by left hook and sealed the deal with a right hand to send the Illinois native partially through the ring.
Parker got exactly what he needed. A stoppage was of the utmost importance considering Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are essentially locked in fights for the rest of 2020. He’s in a holding pattern. As long Parker keeps looking impressive, he will work his way to another chance of becoming a champion.
GARCIA VS. VARGAS UNDERCARD RESULTS
Diego Pacheco def. Oscar Rojas via unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54); Super Middleweight
Alexis Espino def. Delvecchio Savage by unanimous decision (60-54, 59-55, 59-55); Super Middleweight
Leo Ruiz Acevedo def. Dennis Knifechief via TKO at 1:44 of the third round; Jr. Middleweight
Jesse Rodriguez def. Marco Sustaita by TKO at 1:10 of the eighth round; Flyweight
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