Bryan Vazquez vs. Santos Benavides & Carl Davis Drumond vs. Henry Saenz RBR

Oh man, the dude doesn't even know who's boxing right now.

It's Carlos Rivas vs. Luis Garcia, 6 rounds @ bantamweight (it took me three seconds to look up the names of the preliminary bout participants on Boxrec until finding a match for the "Miura" on one guy's trunks...it's the ring name of Garcia).

 

Round 1

Miura Garcia is pot shotting with lead rights while leaning back a bit. Rivas is flicking out an ineffective southpaw jab and an even less effective windmill left. Garcia is having no trouble hanging back and picking Rivas off with a sharp left jab and a few face-turning hooks. Very relaxed poise by Garcia, looking like he plans to get some good sparring out of the wild and not particularly strong looking lefty.

10-9 Garcia

 

Round 2

Garcia jabs up into Rivas' hairline until the Nicaraguan comes flapping in and ties him up. Wild shots by Rivas, plugging Garcia in the belly before getting clinched and shoved off again. Garcia taps the hem line of Rivas' trunks with a few low hooks. Garcia holds his left hand low, catching Rivas' rushes on the backside of his arm and shrugging him back with an outward sweep of it. Garcia slides back a step and waits to catch Rivas with an uppercut to the belly coming in. Rivas grabs to avoid a flurry as Garcia lets his hands go at full extension while leaned all the way back. Rivas is sticking to Garcia like fly paper and spanking him with his palms up close. The referee warns both for something, whether butts or low blows it's hard to say. They jab at each other tentatively for the last few seconds of the round.

20-18 Garcia

 

It doesn't help Miguel that the native CR station doesn't believe in on-screen graphics. :conf

 

Round 3

Rivas is down! He is complaining about a low blow and clutching at his groin but is given a count anyway. Garcia fires left jabs from the hip and pokes out with long rights, working a few uppercuts and hard curling rights. Rivas is flopping all over the place, trying to lean in and hold. Arm punches by Rivas. Garcia is landing several curling rights in a row, drilling them into the left side of Rivas' face. Garcia slows, his wad maybe blown. Rivas lunges wildly after him, missing badly. Horrible body brushes and wild back-taps by Rivas as Garcia tucks up.

30-26 Garcia

 

Pretty much exclusively for banging Hanna Gabriel, who is basically to Costa Rica what Manny Pacquiao is to the Philippines.

 

Round 4

Rivas drives forward with a hard flurry of shots to the head. Garcia is pushed all the way to the corner. Rivas just goes off, popping light lefts and rights and not relenting. Garcia is rolling with shots, sticking his left shoulder out and defending a bit - but over a minute in he hasn't thrown a single punch. Not so much as one counter. Rivas is just mauling him now, flipping up his gloves into Garcia's ribs and face. Garcia tries to duck, not bothering to block and getting his face scrubbed by both of Rivas' hands. Slaps to the body by Rivas. Garcia crosses his arms across his body and leans back against the ropes. The referee steps in!!

RIVAS WINS!!

 

Wow. Rivas is one of the worst boxers I've ever seen, and Garcia actually looked to have some skill. (although he was emulating a style that he probably didn't have the requisite experience to pull off...nor perhaps the natural reflexes).

This was a classic case of the better guy running out of gas and just hitting a wall. Rivas was basically just in the right place at the right time and bluffed his way to victory by letting his hands go on the inert kid with some of the lightest shots to ever score a TKO.

I won't begrudge him the win, though. He looks so damn happy.

 

Something tells me this isn't the first time deficiencies in stamina/discipline/decision-making bit Miura in the butt and cost him the day...

He's fallen now to 6-5-2.

It could be one of those examples of a marginally talented kid who with better coaching available in his native Panama might have a more auspicious record at this point...even if only like 10-3.