By Cliff Rold

34-year old Roberto Garcia (35-3, 23 KO) of Weslaco, Texas, used a punishing, steady attack to break down 29-year old Victor Cayo (32-5, 23 KO) in six rounds on Thursday night at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida in Welterweight action.

Garcia entered the bout having won six straight since a decision loss to Antonio Margarito in 2010.  All of Cayo’s defeats have been by knockout.

Garcia came in under the Welterweight limit at 146 ¼ while Cayo came in at 150 after struggling at the scale.  The referee was Telis Assimenios.

Through the first four rounds, Cayo found himself often fighting off the back foot as the grinding Garcia used his body attack, stiff jab, and thudding right hand to take his measure.  On occasion, Garcia was also willing to use a shove or shoulder to muscle Cayo back.  In the last minute of the fourth, a cut was opened over the right eye.

Garcia received a warning for pushing off in the fourth and again early in the fifth.  Using his length, Cayo got off to a better start in round five, finding room for his right hand off the jab.  Cayo also landed right uppercuts and some left hooks in what might have been the most competitive round of the fight to then but it ended with Garcia whaling to the body as the bell rang.

It was a last stand for Cayo.

In the sixth, Garcia’s physicality was deemed to much for Cayo by Assimenios.  Under assault, Cayo took a salvo to the body followed by a right hand that sent him reeling along the ropes.  The referee stepped in to stop further punishment at 2:38 of round six.   

In the televised opener, 2008 Olympian and 24-year old professional Middleweight Jonathan Gonzalez (18-0-1, 14 KO), 162 ¾, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, had his hands full with 25-year old Rogelio Medina (32-6, 27 KO), 165 ¾, of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, but ultimately pulled out a split decision over ten rounds with a steady second half.  The referee was Sammy Burgos.

Medina appeared to build an early lead, coming out busy and quick to get a step ahead of Gonzalez.  By the mid-rounds, the pace slowed with Gonzalez able to begin landing on more even terms.  From start to finish it was Medina who was the busier man, landing more, but round by round it was harder to separate them as the frames ticked by.  In the final round, both had their moments but Medina closed with better activity and raised his hands in expectation of the upset verdict.

He got it on one card at 96-94 Medina but the nod slipped the other way at 97-93 and 96-94 Gonzalez on the other two cards.  The crowd loudly booed the verdict but Gonzalez moves on.

The card was broadcast in the US on ESPN2 as a special edition of their “Friday Night Fights” series, promoted by Warriors Boxing.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com