“His punch was hard”: Ryan Garcia claims Oscar Duarte was scarier than Gervonta Davis fight

Despite being tested by Oscar Duarte’s aggressive tactics, Ryan Garcia won by knockout in the eighth round on Saturday night in Houston.

Garcia, fighting for the first time since his April KO loss to Gervonta Davis, was booed by the crowd in the fifth round and appeared to be losing control of the fight. He turned the tide, however, with a decisive blow to the head that sent Duarte to the canvas and forced him to take a knee.

Ryan Garcia compares Oscar Duarte and Gervonta Davis fights

Garcia’s stinging left hook gave him the upper hand, allowing him to unleash a barrage of follow-up punches. Oscar Duarte was knocked to the ground by an uppercut and a left hook. Duarte only got to his feet as referee James Green’s count reached ten and the fight was called off.

Garcia’s first fight with new trainer Derrick James, following his split from Joe Goossen, saw the 25-year-old got off to a strong start, scoring first with a jab and right hand in the second round.

Garcia was landing more eye-catching punches, but Duarte rallied in rounds five and six to keep the fight close before Garcia went all-in in the eighth round to knock out his American opponent.

Ryan Garcia recently revealed that the fight against Duarte was far more difficult for him than the Davis fight, which he ultimately lost.

During the post-fight press conference, King Ry made his controversial revelation.

“This was scarier than fighting Tank.” I’m not going to lie. He had a powerful punch.”

Fans, however, interpreted his statement differently. One fan claimed that this was another ploy to get Davis into the ring, saying, “Rolly said the same thing. They’re attempting to entice Tank into a rematch.”

Oscar De La Hoya congratulates Ryan Garcia on his win

Oscar De La Hoya congratulated Ryan Garcia on his win which came as a surprise to many.

“What a spectacular performance by Ryan! Oscar Duarte was game. Congratulations Ryan. We’re back baby!”, De La Hoya said after Garcia’s victory.

Fans argued that the promoter’s comments were insincere given his previous tweet insisted that Ryan wasn’t picking up his calls and he even questioned the boxer’s mental health before the fight.

Although the fight between Ryan Garcia vs Oscar Duarte was a fun-to-watch match fans can hope that it might bring back KingRy to his best form which may lead to a rematch of Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta Davis.