Garcia Shocks Imanaga With Old-School Pressure and Ugly Work – Boxing Results

Nobody in that building expected Eridson Garcia to walk out with the win. Not because he couldn’t fight, but because this was supposed to be a clean night for Taiga Imanaga. A tune-up with ambition. A technical showcase. Instead, it turned into a grind that exposed things people in the gyms have been whispering about for a while.

This was a shocker because of how it happened.

From the first bell, Garcia made it clear he wasn’t there to play range games. He stepped inside the jab, kept his forehead on Imanaga’s chest, and forced him to work in places he hates. No room to breathe. No clean exits. Just weight, forearms, and pressure. Old-school stuff. The kind of fighting that doesn’t look pretty but wins rounds when judges actually pay attention.

Imanaga tried to keep it tidy early. He flicked the jab, slid laterally, looked for that clean one-two he lives off. But Garcia kept touching the body, not hard, just enough to slow the feet. Every exchange ended with Garcia leaning, bumping, making him carry weight. That adds up fast.

By the fourth and fifth, the pattern was obvious. Imanaga’s feet were slower. His resets wider. He started backing straight out instead of pivoting. That’s when Garcia stopped chasing and started setting traps. Short hooks inside. Half-uppercuts in the pocket. Nothing wild. Just smart, ugly pressure.

The knockdown didn’t come from a bomb. It came from accumulation. A short right after Imanaga squared up, legs already tired from trying to fight at a pace he couldn’t control. Once he hit the canvas, you could see it in his eyes. He knew the fight had tilted.

This wasn’t about skill versus skill. It was about who could impose themselves when things got uncomfortable. Garcia never let the fight breathe. He didn’t need to outbox him. He needed to outlast him.

For Imanaga, this is a warning shot. He’s talented, but his game depends on rhythm and space. Take that away and he starts looking human. If he doesn’t learn how to smother pressure or fight going backward with intent, this won’t be the last time someone drags him into deep water.

For Garcia, this win matters. Not because it was pretty, but because it showed he can win ugly. That’s how you survive at this level.