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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Ryan Garcia was troubled by Oscar Duarte’s mauling tactics but found the fight-ending shot in Round 8, a check left hook followed by a barrage of punches that earned him the knockout victory Saturday night in Houston.
Garcia, in his first fight since an April TKO loss to Gervonta Davis, heard boos in Round 8 and appeared to have the fight slipping away from him. That’s when he unleashed the left hand that wobbled Duarte and eventually sent him to a knee.
Duarte gathered his feet just as the referee’s count reached 10, giving Garcia the KO win with nine seconds left in Round 8.
“I just had to slow his momentum down,” said Garcia, 25. “He was building momentum, momentum and I was like, ‘Man, I gotta cut this off somehow.’ … He was a strong fighter. He took a good punch. … I hit him with some hard shots and he just kept coming.
“It was tough. It was very tough. … I have the killer instinct. Sometimes when I hurt somebody that bad, I just be cracking them.”