Garcia Belts Out One-Sided Decision

Robert Garcia of Oxnard became the first world champion from Ventura County when he beat Harold Warren by unanimous decision Friday night for the vacant International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight championship at Miccosukee Indian Gaming Reservation in Miami.

Garcia, 23, outpointed the 37-year-old Warren with effective lead rights and left-right combinations to the head.

In another bout, 1996 U.S. Olympian Fernando Vargas of Oxnard stopped Dan Connolly of Pittsburgh 40 seconds into the second round.

Garcia (30-0), who trains at La Colonia Youth Boxing Club under the direction of his father, Eduardo Garcia, was given a 116-112 decision by judges John Stewart and Gerald Maltz, while Ric Bays favored him, 119-109.

“This feels great,” Garcia said. “It’s one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.”

In the final three rounds, Garcia used his footwork to avoid Warren (38-10) and scored with left jabs and chopping rights to the head.

“Robert is a bit of a runner, and he stayed away from my shots,” said Warren, from Corpus Christi, Texas. “I wasn’t able to get close. He’s a world champion and I give my hat to him.”

Garcia said he knew Warren would be a formidable foe.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult fight,” Garcia said. “We trained hard for over two months. We came and we fought perfectly.”