It was not easy, but it was a victorious night in Frisco, TX for former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs), who used a critical fifth-round knockdown of Jessie Vargas (29-3-2, 11 KOs) to turn the tide of Saturday’s main event in his favor. Despite a late charge from Vargas, Garcia took a unanimous decision in this 12-round welterweight attraction.
Vargas was getting the better of Garcia in the early rounds thanks to an effective left hook and good timing, catching his smaller foe quite often. In the fifth round, Garcia’s success with the right hand paid dividends in the form of hurting Jessie before dropping him with a massive punch.