NEW YORK — Danny Garcia spoke about wanting Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao next.
Well, he inched himself one step closer Saturday night by pummeling Ivan Redkach toward a lopsided unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 117-111) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Garcia quickly imposed his will and landed crunching right hand after crunching right hand — whether they came via counterpunching or straightforward.
Redkach was clearly no match for Garcia, who got to look ahead to unified world welterweight champ Spence or WBA titleholder Pacquiao.
"Either or (Spence or Pacquiao), either of those fights I would like to have," Garcia told Showtime during his postfight interview in the ring. "My style looks great with both fighters."
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The two-division world champion's only regret against Redkach? That he didn't get the stoppage.
"I thought the referee was going to stop it because I felt like I was punishing him," Garcia said. "He’s a tough guy, he hung in there, I wanted to get the KO, but I didn't get it. I feel like I boxed smart, and I feel like that's what I needed after this layoff. I really wanted the knockout bad, but I’ll accept this."
Garcia loaded up on right hands, including a stiff shot that buckled Redkach's knees in the seventh round.
When Redkach gestured Garcia to bring it during the eighth, "Swift" obliged by dishing out more punishment. About the only pain Redkach could muster was when he inexplicably bit Garcia between his neck and shoulder.
"He bit me. He said, 'Mike Tyson' when he bit me," Garcia told Showtime's Jim Gray following his win. "I said, ‘Ref, he bit me.' I thought I needed stitches or something. That’s my first time ever getting bit in a fight. Things happen, though. I've been in a street fight before, so I did it all."
While Garcia's counterpunching was effective against Redkach, it remains to be seen whether he can do that and get a win over Spence or Pacquiao, who might force him to increase his punching volume.
Co-main event: Jarrett Hurd dominates Francisco Santana via unanimous decision
Hurd almost capped his return to the ring with a knockout.
Although he didn’t get the KO, "Swift" cruised to a 97-92, 99-90, 99-90 decision.
Hurd dropped Santana with a piercing uppercut during the waning seconds of the 10th round. When Santana beat the count, there was only a second remaining in the fight and the final bell tolled.
Unanimous decision by @Swift_JHurd highlighted by his knockdown of Santana in the final round. #HurdSantana pic.twitter.com/xeNAaEGm7R
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 26, 2020
Santana wasn’t able to be saved from being on the receiving end of a boxing clinic, however. Hurd (24-1, 16 KOs) established a left jab in the second round and a winding, crunching right uppercut in the third, and he rode both punches to the dominant win.
The fight served as Hurd’s first bout since he suffered his first pro loss last May against Julian Williams. That defeat was costly, as Hurd lost his unified world junior middleweight titles.
With this victory, Hurd should be back in line for a shot to become world champ once again.
Stephen Fulton def. Arnold Khegai by unanimous decision; junior featherweights
Unanimous. @coolboysteph remains undefeated. #FultonKhegai pic.twitter.com/KQaV6CoS2s
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 26, 2020
Khegai had success mauling Fulton against the ropes and unleashing his left hook, but "Cool Boy Steph" had more success luring the Ukrainian fighter to the middle of the ring, where he peppered him with jabs and combinations.
By the time the final bell tolled, it was clear Fulton (18-0, eight KOs) had controlled the distance behind the jab in dominant enough fashion to win on all three judges’ cards. The final tallies were 116-112, 117-111 and 117-111.
"That's what I do. I use my jab,” Fulton told Showtime’s Jim Gray following his win. "I tried to utilize the jab all night and win the fight behind the jab. I showed that I'm ready for a world title next."
