American boxer, Ryan Garcia has said that, Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe’s constant ducking and shuffling made life difficult for him in their Super Lightweight non-title fight on Saturday at the Alamodome, San Antonio, USA.
In a bout fought at a catch-weight of 139-pounds, top lightweight contender Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) was dominant, producing a twelve round unanimous decision win over an awkward Emmanuel Tagoe (32-2, 15 KOs).
The three judges scored the bout at 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109 in favour of Garcia who accorded respect to the Ghanaian for a good show.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for [Emmanuel] Tagoe, he fought a hard fight.
“He was making it a little difficult for me, I hit him with some shots and he was crafty with the holding and stuff.
“I was trying to get him off me, he was moving a lot, hugging a lot, it’s a new experience, I’ve got to cut the ring off a little better with the guy that is just going to keep moving all 12 rounds,” Ryan Garcia said.
“He was a track down fighter, I had to track him down, it is a new experience, I have to cut it down with a guy that will fight to survive.
“I appreciate it, it was a good fight, he is very slippery so what can I do, you know I have to work him down.
“I tried to knock him out, I caught him with a Super right hand and he was really hurt but couldn’t fight the next shot but it’s ok, I will learn more and I know I’ve got a lot in me.” He added.
Tagoe, 33, was fighting for the first time since November 2020 after defeating Mason Menard over a Majority Decision (MD) in ten rounds at the Rock Hotel and Casino in the USA.
Garcia, 23, on the other hand last fought 15 months ago – stopping former Olympic Champion, Luke Campbell in the seventh round.