LAS VEGAS — On a night when the top six teams in the NCAA men's college basketball rankings all went down in a heap, one of boxing's top prospects also suffered a stunning defeat.
Chris Colbert lost a one-sided unanimous decision to Hector Garcia, who pulled off the massive upset despite stepping in on short notice, Saturday night at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
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Colbert (16-1) was originally set to face Roger Gutierrez for the WBA super featherweight title, but Gutierrez tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled from the fight. Colbert opted to keep busy and showcase his ability against the unheralded Garcia (15-0).
But Colbert overplayed his hand, thinking he could stop Garcia. He ended up having the tables turned on him and was overpowered by his Dominican opponent.
The 25-year-old Colbert was brimming with confidence at the outset as his speed advantage was evident. But that didn't prevent Garcia from finding the mark and applying pressure to neutralize Colbert's hands.
Colbert started taking the initiative in the third round after realizing he had underestimated his opponent, but Garcia closed the round strong, jarring Colbert with a short left hand as the two let their hands go as the round came to a close.
Colbert tried to make Garcia pay for his mistakes in the fourth and had a response for every missed punch, but Garcia was relentless and eventually stunned Colbert with a hard left hand followed by a barrage of shots to the body and head.
A befuddled Colbert had no Plan B. He found himself being walked down through the middle rounds, unable to swing the pendulum in his favor.
In the seventh, Garcia blasted Colbert with a left hand and sent him to the canvas. It was at that moment that Colbert realized he was outgunned and needed to decide whether to attempt a miraculous comeback or call it a night and stay on his feet.
A desperate Colbert tried to will himself back into the fight in the 10th with a flurry of punches, but another hard left hand rocked the Brooklyn product and placed him back in survival mode.
In a show of confidence, Garcia stood in the middle of the ring in the 11th round and put his hands into the air to mock his opponent. In the 12th, Colbert was resigned to it not being his night. He circled away from his opponent and accepted defeat.
It'll be back to the drawing board for Colbert, while Garcia may find himself in a title fight sooner than later.
Also on the card, Fernando Martinez (14-0) peeled the IBF junior bantamweight belt off Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2) with a unanimous decision in an early Fight of the Year candidate. Although the scores were wide at 117-111, 118-110 and 118-110, the 12-round fight was full of excellent two-way action. Martinez applied relentless pressure and landed an absurd 421 punches, a junior bantamweight record.
Gary Antuanne Russell, younger brother of former champion Gary Russell Jr., became the first fighter to stop Viktor Postol with a questionable 10th-round TKO. The 38-year-old Postol (31-4) entered the ring with a heavy heart; his home country, Ukraine, is in the midst of war. He fought well against the high-octane Russell (15-0, 15 KOs), but Russell's persistence was the key. He kept his foot on the gas and finally hurt Postol with a left hand with 45 seconds left. Postol was reeling but still competently defending himself when the referee inexplicably stopped the fight with less than 30 seconds to go.