Fight:2084631

Hakeem Watkins 129 lbs lost to Ernesto Garza III 129 lbs by UD in round 6 of 6

• Date: 2016-06-10
• Location: Hollywood Casino, Columbus, Ohio, USA
• Referee: Lonnie Scott

Scoring: 59-54, 58-55, 57-56 for Ernesto Garza III.

• Featherweight prospect Ernesto Garza III, in his first bout in 10 months, scored a knockdown in the sixth round and won a unanimous six round decision over Hakeem Watkins on the Troy Speakman five bout card at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio. Garza came in at 126 pounds, but Watkins could not make the weight so a catch weight of 129 pounds was agreed.

• Garza dominated the bout, using his jab to clearly win rounds two through six. Watkins threw, pushed or pulled Garza to the canvas six times, including pulling Garza down with him when the sixth round knockdown occurred. Although the referee did not take points away for the pushes, the referee did begin counting over Watkins after both fighters went down to the canvas in the sixth round. At the start of rounds four and five, a Watkins corner man illegally entered thew ring after the belt to fix loosened boxing trunks, attracting the attention of new Ohio Boxing Commissioner Ray Mancini. Watkins held on in the sixth while getting hit with some heavy head shots to barely survive the contest at the end of the six rounder.