Ryan “The Flash” Garcia Kicks Off Cinco De May Weekend on ESPN
By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña
This Friday night Golden Boy Promotions kicks off a stacked Cinco De Mayo boxing weekend at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California when the highly touted undefeated prospect Ryan “The Flash” Garcia (14-0, 13 KO’s) takes on the veteran Puerto Rican contender Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez (26-4-1, 18 KO’s) in a scheduled ten round main event for Garcia’s WBC/NABF and WBO/NABO Super Featherweight Titles. On paper Velez is toughest opponent to date for Garcia and is no stranger to being in the ring with big names as Velez has gone toe to toe with Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Evgeny Gradovich , and Juan Manuel Lopez to name a few. “I will not let my country down as it is a powerful force in boxing,” said Jayson Velez. “If anyone believes that I am only going for the paycheck, they are wrong. As I have proved before, I always give my best and this will not be the exception against Garcia. In the face of all predictions, I will defeat him.”
Garcia the 19-year old Victorville native is quickly becoming one of the fastest rising stars in all of boxing and looks to sellout the fabled war grounds in Carson also known as the Stubhub Center. “I’m back already and with high expectations,” said Garcia. “I’m glad to be headlining two times in a row and excited to be fighting in an iconic venue where there have been many wars. I’ve said all along that I was destined for greatness. I’m speaking it to existence, and I will show that on May 4th.” Garcia last entered the ring March 22nd at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, California, when he took on and completely dismantled of Fernando Vargas in one round. Now Garcia looks to keep the momentum rolling when he battles Velez Friday night. “This is going to be an amazing event. This will be another step in my legacy, and I look forward to a world-changing fight. It doesn’t matter how much experience Jayson Velez has. I’m going to fight the way I fight, whether he fought for a world title or not. I’m going to see how he fights, and I’ll know what to do.” Garcia went onto say “I’ve noticed that he drops his hand a lot, so I’m going to feint to the body and catch him with my left hook. This fight is going to end in the fourth round. I may end it early, but I say it’ll end in the fourth round. The knockout doesn’t have to be with one punch because I also know how to end fights with a barrage and force the referee to end it. These two belts (NABF and NABO Super Featherweight Titles) will be on the line, and I know the the next fight will be for a world title.”
In the co-main event of the night the hard hitting Irishman Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (27-2, 19 KO’s) will enter the ring against Berlin Abreu (14-1, 11 KO’s) of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. O’Sullivan recently made boxing news when it was reported he was offered and withdrew to be a possible contender to face unbeaten middleweight unified World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. “GGG” was due to take on the Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena this Saturday. However Alvarez was temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following two failed drug test that were administered by VADA. Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol and has blamed the positive test on tainted meat. Supreme Boxing recently caught up with O’Sullivan and he spoke about his upcoming matchup as well as his decision not to fight “GGG.” “Golden Boy Promotions had a deal for me in place that was really good financially and at that point there was no confirmation or contract in place by Golovkin’s team so, what can I do. I would have loved to fight “GGG” and I still want to fight him.” O’Sullivan went on to say “Tomorrow night I’m going to put on a great show for the Mexican people because they’re like the Irish I have a a lot of respect for the Mexicans and I know this is a great holiday for them.”
Other bouts include
Marvin Cabrera (7-0, 5 KO’s) vs Wilfrito Buelvas (18-8, 12 KO’s) Super Welterweights (8-Rounds)
Seniesa Estrada (12-0, 2 KO’s) vs Amarilis Adorno (1-6) Flyweights (6-Rounds)
Richard Acevedo (1-0, 1 KO) vs Edward Aceves (0-3) Super Welterweights (4-Rounds)
Garcia vs. Velez is a 10-round super featherweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights will take place on Friday, May 4, 2018 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT, and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. PT. ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes will air the fights beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, and stream live on ESPN3 starting at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
