Elijah Garcia stops fellow middleweight prospect Amilcar Vidal in the fourth round
ONTARIO, California – Elijah Garcia may be only 19 years of age but he fights with the savvy of a seasoned professional.
In a clash of unbeaten middleweight prospects, Garcia stopped Amilcar Vidal in the fourth round before a boisterous crowd at the Toyota Arena on Saturday on the Brandon Figueroa-Mark Magsayo undercard.
GARCIA FINISHES VIDAL @Elijah3EGarcia picks up his 14th-straight win with a blistering 4th-round KO of Vidal #VidalGarcia | #FigueroaMagsayo pic.twitter.com/MwKw9sbCpu
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 5, 2023
The southpaw Garcia, who resides in Phoenix, Arizona, improved to 14-0, 12 knockouts.
Vidal-Garcia was a compelling clash as both are volume-punching boxer-punchers. Both fighters were on the attack from the opening bell, each connecting with their share of punches, particularly to the body.
Vidal allowed Garcia to walk him down. Although he fought with his back against the ropes, the 27-year-old did well in landing to the face of Garcia, producing blood from his nose.
Garcia fought in spurts, but was very effective in landing single shots or two-punch combinations after pawing a jab at Vidal.
With less than a minute left in the fourth round, a right hook to the head hurt Vidal. Garcia pinned Vidal against the ropes, landing at will until Vidal dropped to the canvas. Referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 2:17.
The fight was even at that point in the fight. Vidal connected on 92 of 297 total punches (31 percent), while Garcia landed a total of 97 of 296 punches (33 percent).
Garcia, who won a regional title belt, was pleased with his performance.
“It’s what everyone dreams of,” said Garcia after the fight. “This is what we work on since turning pro. Mentally, I lost the fight in the first two rounds. My respect to (Vidal). When I hurt him, I followed up.”
Vidal, who resides in Montevideo, Uruguay, drops to 16-1, 12 KOs. He had fought on a handful of Showtime platforms up until the loss to Garcia.
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