Hector Luis Garcia stuns Chris Colbert to earn WBA title shot

Chris Colbert talked all the talk.

Hector Luis Garcia walked the walk Saturday night at the Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Garcia swarmed and pummeled the brash 25-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, to score a 119-108, 118-109, 118-109 upset in a WBA junior lightweight title eliminator and earn a shot against champion Roger Gutierrez. Garcia replaced Gutierrez on three weeks notice after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Colbert, 25, was a prohibitive favorite and a budding standout in the 130-pound division. But Garcia (15-0, 1o knockouts), a 30-year-old who represented the Dominican Republic in the 2016 Olympics, stole his shine and catapulted toward title contention with a clinical performance to cap a Showtime card presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

“When I was told three weeks ago that I was going to take this fight, I saw in my eyes that my life was going to change,” said Garcia, who landed 211 punches compared with 116 for Colbert, per CompuBox. “I told him not to go to sleep because I had power in both of my arms. That was my key.”

Colbert (16-1, six KOs) is a slick and skilled fighter who relies on speed and fundamentals to subdue his opponents, but he was careless against Garcia, who boasts more power and discipline. He initiated exchanges with Garcia without the power to make them count.

Garcia quickly realized Colbert couldn’t hurt him and marched toward him for a majority of the fight, flooring him with a straight left hand in the seventh round that punctuated a signature performance. Colbert, knowing he needed a knockout to win, threw 30 punches in the final two rounds and seemed content to finish on his feet.

“Tonight he was just the better man,” Colbert said. “I didn’t feel like myself tonight.”

Martinez wins slugfest to claim title

Jerwin Ancajas had completed nine defenses of the IBF super flyweight championship he captured in 2016.

Fernando Martinez upended his 10th.

The 30-year-old Argentinian was relentless with his pressure and overwhelmed Ancajas to claim a 118-110, 118-110, 117-111 victory and his first world championship in the first fight on the telecast. Martinez landed 421 power punches and 427 total, per CompuBox, establishing a record for a fight in the 115-pound division.

He’s the 47th fighter to eclipse the 400-punch mark, joining legends such as Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker. He set the tone in the opening round by unloading on the 30-year-old Filipino, who ate dozens of clean shots throughout the 12 rounds.

“I haven’t even fallen to earth yet. This was my dream since I was 11 years old,” Martinez said. “Before the fight, I would ask myself what it would be like to bring the belt home to my mom in Argentina. I made that dream come true.”

In the co-feature, burgeoning 140-pounder and former Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) scored a 10th-round technical knockout over former WBC junior welterweight champion Viktor Postol (31-4, 12 KOs) to become the first fighter to stop the wily 38-year-old Ukranian.

Russell, 25 and of Capital Heights, Maryland, functioned as the aggressor and chased Postol around the ring, closing the distance during the 10-round bout. He buzzed Postol in the final round, prompting Mark Ortega to stop the fight.

Russell had built a wide lead on all three scorecards and showcased his skills en route to the most significant victory of his career.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.