TRUJILLO ALTO, Puerto Rico, CMC – United States Virgin Islands heavyweight Clayton Laurent, Jr suffered his first professional loss, when German Garcia of Mexico stopped him in the third round of their four-round contest last Friday here.
Laurent looked to be comfortably ahead on the judges’ scorecards and on his way to winning his fourth professional fight until Garcia landed a surprise punch to the face in the third round that put Laurent on the canvas, where he stayed for the 10-count, giving the Mexican a knockout victory.
“I was winning the fight, going into the third round establishing my jab, he was getting tired, I was hurting him with the shots and I just kept applying the pressure,” said Laurent afterward.
“The game plan was to wear him down and just start investing in the body, and then slowly take him out if I saw the opportunity. He came ready to fight, though, and even while I felt I was in control, it just takes one punch to change the outcome.”
Laurent came into the fight after three straight professional wins and now holds a 3-1 record. Garcia emerged from the contest at 5-1.
“It was a great fight,” he said. “Up to that point, I didn’t feel like I was losing at all. Now, I have to go back and work on my defence. There has to be a hole there that gave him the chance to come through and land that hit.
“This is a one-punch sport and, unfortunately, I was on the short end of the stick this time. I just have to go home, get some rest, recoup and get back into the gym again. Champions get back up. I have to learn how to overcome it and do better next time.”
