Ryan Garcia proved that he is worthy of all the hype.
Garcia survived an early knockout to take a technical knockout victory in the seventh round on Luke Campbell on Saturday night.
In front of about 6,000 fans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Garcia won the provisional WBC lightweight title with a left hook on the body that brought Campbell to his knees. Campbell tried to get up at the end of the count, but referee Laurence Cole waved to the fight to give Garcia the TKO victory.
For most of his career, Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), 22, was known for a social media following that overshadowed his ring credentials. With the victory, he said he showed that it is more than an internet sensation.
“You are not who people say [you] are, “said Garcia in his post-fight interview at DAZN.” You are who you choose to be. And I chose to be a champion tonight. I wasn’t going to let anything stop me. “
Campbell (20-4, 16 KOs), a former title challenger and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, was heralded as the toughest test of Garcia’s young career, and the British boxer lived up to that.
In the second round, Campbell dropped Garcia with a looping left hook that hit him in the chin. Garcia said it was the first time he was shot down in his career.
“I think I was a little too excited about the moment,” said Garcia, who was carried to the ring seated on a throne wearing a golden crown.
But “King Ry” responded in the third round, recovering his course and almost finishing the fight in the fifth. Garcia hit Campbell with a left hook on the bell that sent Campbell reeling to the ropes. Two rounds later, Garcia won the most significant victory of his career.
Campbell had never been interrupted in his professional career, even in the title fights against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares. Garcia and Campbell observed this after Saturday’s fight.
“That was the strongest shot I’ve ever made,” said Campbell. “I tried and tried to get up, but I couldn’t. I felt that he was approaching and was retreating, and when you retreated, my body relaxed a little, and it was exactly at that time that he hit me.”
Garcia added: “I showed today that I am special”.
Campbell agreed with that, saying of Garcia in a tweet later, “Well done and a huge future ahead of him. I wish him well.”
Garcia joined the ranks of young and promising lightweight fighters. Teofimo Lopez, 23, won three of the four belts in the 135-pound division when he beat Lomachenko in October 2019. Devin Haney, 22, holds the WBC belt.
But the fighter Garcia said he wants most is Gervonta “Tank” Davis, 26, who holds one of the WBA’s secondary belts and comes from an impressive knockout victory over Leo Santa Cruz in October.
“I really want to be a man of my word,” said Garcia. “I really want to fight Tank. I know people are concerned about that [happening], but I’m ready for that. “