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via Getty

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via Getty

In a riveting match at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on December 2, Ryan Garcia faced off against Oscar Duarte, with Duarte eyeing a career-defining victory and Garcia seeking redemption from his previous loss to Gervonta Davis. Interestingly Garcia asserted control early on in the fight. He kept his composure throughout the fight, unlike his previous performances where he would let his hands loose.

Even though Garcia ended up winning the fight and making a successful comeback after his previous loss against Gervonta Davis, the fight has been marred with controversy. Due to this, the reaction from fans has been rather mixed. While some are congratulating Garcia on his knockout performance, others are calling him out on his defense that rendered the fight boring for a lot of fans.

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The controversy surrounding Ryan Garcia defeating Oscar Duarte

Since the victory, a lot of criticism has been raised towards the way the fight was refereed. One of the prevailing criticisms is the referee’s alleged bias towards Garcia as he didn’t call out him for excessively turning his back towards Duarte, which led him to hit the former three times in the back of the neck. Even during the fight, Garcia was getting booed off by the fans who wanted to see him fight more proactively.

Though another critique is of the referee allegedly jumping from 4 directly to 7 as Duarte was counted out by the referee in the eighth round. For some boxing fans, the alleged foul play has muddied the nature of the victory that otherwise would have been a perfect comeback. Recently a post surfaced on social media, which shared a picture of Garcia turning his back towards Duarte. The caption read, “I’m speechless dawg” pointing at the absurdity of Garcia fully exposing his back to his opponent, baiting for an illegal shot.

Fans not impressed with Garcia’s defense

As the post surfaced on social media fans were quick to blast Garcia as they criticized the young boxer. One fan appeared confused as he asked, “How did he get away with turning his back like that…Then Ref was Warning Duarte”

Another fan remarked, “If Garcia was the opponent, depending on the ref, this kinda move could’ve caused an early stoppage. SMH”.

Someone else chimed in criticizing Garcia’s style stating, “Dude kept turning his back and the red didn’t warn him once. If anything the ref warned Duarte for a kidney punch lol. Unreal”.

Meanwhile, one fan jokingly remarked, “That’s the Wisconsin shell B”.

Another fan claimed to not have watched the fight and shared his reaction to the posts. The fan asked, “Didn’t watch the fight, was he doing this too much during the bout? That’s crazy lol”

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Read More: Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte Stats: Age, Height, Weight, Reach, Net Worth, Record, and More

Overall, it appears the fans weren’t too happy with Garcia showing his back to his opponent. What do you think about Garcia’s peculiar defense? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Watch This Story: Concerned for Ryan Garcia, Fans Left Jaw-Dropped by Opponent Oscar Duarte’s ‘Knockout Shot’ in Viral Training Clip

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