Garcia Retains Title With TKO Victory : Boxing: Oxnard junior lightweight improves to 22-0 with 17 knockouts by stopping Pancho Segura.

Robert Garcia of Oxnard retained his North American Boxing Federation junior lightweight title with a 12th-round technical knockout of Pancho Segura of Coachella before an estimated crowd of 4,500 at Freeman Coliseum.

Garcia (22-0, 17 knockouts) used a brawling inside attack round after round, backing Segura against the ropes for much of the bout.

The end came at 1 minute 10 seconds of the final round when referee Rafael Ramos of San Antonio halted the action with Segura leaning against the ropes and Garcia landing a flurry of punches.

All three judges had Garcia, 20, well ahead on points at the time the fight was stopped. One judge had Garcia winning every round. The other two had Segura winning one round.

“This is a good victory and now I can just go home and rest for a while,” Garcia said. “I don’t know what’s ahead for me. That’s up to promoter Bob Arum. I felt in control the whole fight.

“[Segura] is a brave fighter and a great boxer. He’s a very good friend of mine.”

It was Garcia’s first title defense since he won the crown April 21 in a 12-round decision over Julian Wheeler in Las Vegas. Garcia, a Top Rank, Inc. stablemate of lightweight world champion Oscar De La Hoya, graduated from Channel Islands High in 1993.

Segura’s record fell to 26-8-1 with 11 knockouts.

“Right now, I have to sit down and think for a long time,” Segura said. “I was not mentally prepared for this fight. I had some personal problems and I have to sit down with my son and daughter and take care of them.”

Garcia won 74 of 78 fights as an amateur before turning pro while still in high school.

The bout was part of an undercard to the International Boxing Federation flyweight championship fight between Danny Romero and Miguel Martinez.

Romero (25-0, 22 KOs), of Albuquerque, N.M., retained his title with a sixth-round knockout of Martinez (32-0-1, 26 KOs) of Mexico.