Ryan Garcia v Javier Fortuna preview: Fortuna out to end Garcia’s unbeaten run

The undefeated Ryan Garcia matches up against super featherweight veteran Javier Fortuna, as the long-awaited bout finally goes ahead this weekend at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Both fighters are hungry for the win, especially after a year’s delay to the original fight.

We preview the action below.

Garcia to stay undefeated?

Ryan Garcia will look to defend his unbeaten 22-0 streak, and will no doubt be hunting for another highlight-reel finish. The American is one of the most promising up and coming boxers in the division and has captured the attention of fans all over the globe.

Garcia is the strong favourite heading into this match up, and with odds of 1/12, it seems that the bookies recognise his raw speed and talent, from which he gets his nickname, ‘The Flash’. Even as an amateur, Garcia amassed an impressive record of 215-15.

The pair were originally supposed to meet in July last year, until Garcia withdrew due to his mental health issues, leading to him being stripped of his WBC lightweight title. Now, Garcia claims to have put those issues behind him and is “stronger than ever as a man and wiser than ever as a fighter”.

During his last bout against Emmanuel Tagoe, critics said Garcia looked stiff despite him comfortably winning by decision. When speaking on this ahead of Saturday night, he said “You’re not going to see that ring rust on because I had ring rust in that fight with [Emmanuel] Tagoe. You’re going to see my reflexes and timing is that much better”.

Will Garcia live up to his words, and easily put down the threat of Fortuna? If you fancy Garcia to win by KO/TKO, the odds are 4/9.

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Fortuna set to upset?

Javier Fortuna fights out of the south-paw stance and has 37 wins with just three losses and one draw. With 26 of those wins ending by knockout, Fortuna has the power and the experience. He has only been stopped once and has a knockout percentage of 70%, which begs the question, will he be the first man to stop Garcia?

The Dominican fighter previously held the WBA super-featherweight title from 2015-16 and with no lack of speed, power or experience, he believes that he is being underestimated at 11/2. Fortuna also claims that Garcia is “overrated”.

During his last fight, Fortuna scored a first-round knockout, making a statement following his decision loss to Joseph Diaz last July. If he feels the need to prove himself again here, and he has a record of delivering in times of need, maybe Fortuna will produce the upset we haven’t seen yet against the undefeated Garcia.

Ahead of this bout, Fortuna claims that his experience will be the defining factor in his victory and hindering the speed of Garcia, he said “Ryan’s speed doesn’t phase me. I know how to take that away from him. I have the experience to do it.”

Although the odds are stacked against him, Fortuna may be a good underdog to back at 11/2, and if you fancy him repeating his performance from when he was last out, you can get Fortuna by round 1 KO/TKO at 100/1, while he is 10/1 to win by that method at anytime.

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