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ROBERTO GARCIA EXTENDS HIS WIN STREAK BY BLUDGEONING VICTOR CAYO INTO SUBMISSION Posted by Matthew Swain on May 1, 2014 23:45

Roberto Garcia has not had an easy road as a professional boxer. In his 13-year career he has frequently fought out of his normal weight class and on short notice. He did both of those things in February when he took a fight with Norberto Gonzalez on short notice and gutted out an entertaining decision. That win put him in position to get another TV date and he did not disappoint tonight on a special Thursday edition of Friday Night Fights on ESPN2.

Garcia (35-3, 23 KO) stopped Victor Cayo in the 6th round of their 10 round welterweight(ish) fight by keeping to his strengths- namely relentless pressure and combination punching in volume. The 34-year-old Texan took a couple of rounds to get warmed up, but once he did Cayo could not stem the tide. Cayo (32-5, 23 KO) took the first two rounds on my card by countering smartly while circling away from the ever advancing Garcia, but by the forth round he was getting punched, nudged, and outright shoved all over the ring. Cayo fired back bravely, but was unable to keep Garcia off of him and by the 5th round he was wilting from the pressure. The 6th round was all Garcia. He was steaming ahead at full speed and caught Cayo with a brutal left hook that caused him to stagger back to the ropes. It was all over at that point. Garcia poured it on using thudding body shots to set up an over hand right that landed flush and as Cayo stumbled into the corner the referee jumped in to save to battered fighter.

At first glance the stoppage seemed premature, but after some consideration I changed my mind. Cayo didn’t protest, so why should we? He was getting beaten up and was unable to deter Garcia’s advance. Letting it go on would only have delayed the inevitable.

Garcia again has given his stock another boost. He was fighting at 147 (Cayo weighed in at 150- Garcia at 146.2) for the first time since 2007, and claims that is his natural class. I thought he looked solid at light middleweight, and he looked gigantic at welterweight. He is a fan-friendly fighter with many gifts and several flaws. He’s tough as nails, has a good punch and undeniable stamina, but he’s also a bit slow and easy to hit. I can’t say who would be a logical next opponent, but I want to watch it. Garcia makes for fun fights, and there can never be too many of those.

Roberto La Amenaza Garcia vs Victor Cayo ESPN Fri…: https://youtu.be/32XoHExxRHw