Fire Met Ice! Ryan Garcia Knocks Out Campbell With Liver Shot, Retains WBC Title
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Dallas, TX (January 3rd, 2020)– Fire met ice, and the fire burned a hole in the center canvas. In the most important bout of a nine bout card at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, January 2, 2020, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, televised on DAZN. Ryan ‘King Ry’ Garcia came off the canvas in the second round to score a seventh-round knockout of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell to win the interim World Boxing Council World Lightweight title and win a shot at full WBC World Lightweight champion Devin Haney.
Garcia, 21-0 with 18 knockouts, age 22, Victorville, California, got a career shock when southpaw Campbell, 20-4 with 16 knockouts, Hassle, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, landing a flurry in the second round culminating with an overhand left which sent Garcia to the canvas for the first time in his career. Given Garcia had a slight height advantage, while Campbell had a slight reach advantage. Campbell, visiting from abroad, probably his best chance at knocking out Garcia on enemy territory where a decision over 12 rounds was unlikely on the scorecards. Still, the bout appeared competitive in the center of the ring, with Garcia outworking Campbell, who did well to maneuver around the exterior of the ring to avoid taking to many shots.
The end of the bout, if not the bout itself, was the highlight-reel knockout in 2021 to hit the video waves on YouTube and other internet sights, and the knockout was a beauty. In a picture-perfect replay of the body shot to the liver which Gerry Penalosa used to take out Jhonny Gonzalez in August 2007 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, Garcia landed a picture-perfect left-hand liver shot which sent Campbell down to the canvas on a delayed reaction. Campbell was counted out at 1;58 of the seventh round. From Muhammad Ali to Ricky Hatton, a liver shot is the most difficult punch to recover from if you lose your wind. In previous losses to Yvan Mendy, Jorge Linares, and Vasyl Lomachenko, Campbell went the distance. Campbell did not survive this time. Throughout the bout, southpaw Campbell looked to counter Garcia’s overhand rights with counter lefts, but there were simply too many rights coming in. there were at least one left-hand body shots by Garcia which landed right before the coup-de-grace. Like Ricky Hatton when he went down in the ninth round against Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012, for the 33-year-old Campbell who could not get up, Garcia was one fight too many. Retirement for Campbell seems in order.
Result: Ryan Garcia KO 7 Luke Campbell, Lightweights (1:58)
Garcia wins interim World Boxing Council World Lightweight title
Other Bouts at American Airlines Center
Roger Gutierrez Win 12 Rene Alvarado, Super Featherweights
Gutierrez wins World Boxing Council World Lightweight title
25-3-1 Gutierrez knocks down Alvarado three times, avenges 2017 decision loss to Alvarado, wins WBC World Lightweight title in upset. Close bout despite the knockdowns.
Felix Alvarado TKO 10 DeeJay Kriel, Light Flyweights (1:39)
Alvarado retains International Boxing Federation World Light Flyweight title.
36-2 Alvarado scores two knockdowns in first ring appearance since May 2019. Nice win.
Franchon Crews Dezurn Win 8 Ashleigh Curry, Light Heavyweights (Nontitle)
Nontitle bout for unified female World Super Middleweight champion Dezurn. Curry weighed in at 176.2 pounds, four pounds over the 172 contracted weight. Unprofessional.
Tristan Kalkreuth KO 1 Jorge Armando Martinez, Cruiserweights (0:50)
7-0 cruiserweight prospect Kalcreuth, trained by Ronnie Shields, knocked Mexican journeyman 4-6-1 Martinez down and out early, and closed the show immediately.
Asa Stevens (Pro Debut) Win 4 Francisco Bonilla, Bantamweights
Former Hawaiian amateur standout Stevens finally debuts for Split-T Management after getting five scheduled bouts delayed due to the COVIID-19 Novel coronavirus pandemic.
Prospects: Middleweight Raul Curiel (9-0), Alex Rincon (8-0) and Sean Garcia (6-0) all won their bouts on the undercard.
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