Garcia Dominates Chong to Retain Title

Isidro “Chino” Garcia of Los Angeles thoroughly frustrated Jesus Chong of Gomez Palacio, Mexico, for 12 rounds and won a unanimous decision to retain his North American Boxing Organization flyweight title before an announced crowd of 3,088 Monday night at the Arrowhead Pond.

Garcia (17-1, four knockouts) pitched a shutout on all three scorecards with a boxing exhibition that took away Chong’s punching power and spirit.

“I really worked hard in the gym,” Garcia said. “I knew that I couldn’t stand there in front of him. If I did, it could be over real quick. The guy can whack. My plan was to stick and move.”

Forty seconds into the fourth round, Garcia showed Chong that he could land a power blow too. He connected with a short, left hook that sent Chong to the canvas. Early in the fight, Chong, 33, showed his frustration by putting Garcia in headlocks and hitting him in the back of the head. But by the seventh round, he was barely showing interest.

“He wasn’t throwing punches,” Garcia said. “He didn’t even seem to respond. He was maybe throwing one or two punches.”

Chong (31-10, 27 knockouts) has fought world champions Johnny Tapia and Michael Carbajal, but he has lost his last three bouts and appears ready for retirement.

Garcia, 21, ranked fourth by the World Boxing Organization, appears ready for a title shot. Garcia has a victory over WBO champion Ruben Sanchez. He won a six-round decision over Sanchez at the Great Western Forum in October of 1995.

“Tonight was one of my best fights,” Garcia said. “But I think I need maybe a few more fights before I go for the title.”

In the co-main event, Nestor Garza (32-1) of Reynosa, Mexico, retained his NABO junior featherweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Jesus Sarabia of Mazatlan, Mexico. Garza was too strong for Sarabia (26-8-3), who was stepping up from the bantamweight division.

Garza, 21, dominated the first two rounds, and in third, he knocked down Sarabia with a overhand right to the side of the head. In the later rounds, Garza began to tire and Sarabia began finding the range, but he never seriously hurt Garza.

“I was well-prepared,” Garza said. “I think tonight was a good night for boxing fans. We had a good fight. I felt his punches and he hurt me, but I was the better fighter.”

Sarabia agreed.

“He won,” Sarabia, 26, said. “I gave it all I had, but he was faster and stronger than me.”

In a scheduled six-round middleweight bout, Agustin Caballero (16-8-1) of Panama won by technical disqualification when he was knocked out in the fifth round by an intentional head butt from Julio Cesar De La Cruz (8-1) of Bloomfield, N.J.

In a scheduled six-round junior lightweight bout: Amador Vazquez (11-2-1, 6 KOs) of Panama won on a fifth-round knockout over Juan Carlos Martinez (5-10) of Los Angeles.