Garcia Drops & Outpoints Vargas, Chocolatito Returns Triumphant

Saturday night proved another success for DAZN as a quality card gave fans excitement as well as results of divisional significance.

In the Main Event, Mikey Garcia defeated a determined Jessie Vargas in a hard-fought decision.  Early on, Vargas seemed to have success landing his left hook over the top in exchanges.  Before long however, Mikey Garcia found the timing for his right hand, and dropped Vargas with a sharp 1-2 in the 5th round.

Garcia continued to land the right hand, stunning Vargas several more times, but Vargas recovered well late in the fight to box behind his jab and bank several late rounds on volume. While the fight was close, Garcia emerged a rightful winner on points.

Talk of a Pacquiao fight dominated the post-fight interview, though more than a few fans would prefer that Mikey drop back down to Jr. Welterweight or Lightweight. Even in victory, his lack of size was apparent.

 

Perhaps the most significant bout of the night was Chocolatito Gonzalez’s win over WBA Super Champion Khalid Yafai. Questions concerning Chocolatito’s longevity lingered after relatively little activity following his devastating KO loss to Sor Rungvisai in 2017. Those questions were quickly put to bed as Chocolatito employed his trademark combinations, mixing head and body shots while fluidly shifting his feet around the ring.

Yafai attempted to evade the pressure with movement, but a static upper body and lack of answer to Chocolatito’s volume left him vulnerable. After dropping Yafai in the eighth, a perfect straight right hand produced a thrilling one-punch knockout for Gonzalez in the ninth, sending an unambiguous message that he’s back at the elite level. Fans can look forward to the numerous potential match-ups that await him in and around the Super Flyweight division.

Lastly, let’s not forget to give praise to the contest between WBC Flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez and contender Jay Harris. Both fighters were able to express their styles fully, with Martinez using his high guard, blitzing two-punch combinations up top, and punishing body shots, while Harris put on a resilient effort boxing at range behind straight-punch combinations.

Though Harris was punished throughout by Martinez’s offensive and eventually dropped in the 10th, his performance showed the promise of a quality fighter with a bright future in the sport.