Luke Campbell certainly didn't envision seeing himself with his knees on the canvas, failing to answer the referee's 10-count. But that's how his bout against Ryan Garcia for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title ended on Saturday night. Garcia certainly proved his naysayers wrong after he delivered a vicious left hand body blow that ultimately took the fight out of Campbell.
Following the match, Campbell to Twitter to apologize to his fans after falling short and also gave massive props to Garcia for his incredible performance.
Well I’m honestly heart broken, I really wanted to bring the win back for you all. I’m sorry for that. I hope you all enjoyed the fight. Have to take my hat off to @KingRyanG, well done and a massive future ahead for him. I wish him all the best. pic.twitter.com/hCVvillSm2
— Luke Campbell MBE (@luke11campbell) January 3, 2021
The two foes exchanged praises in the locker room and even posed for a post-bout photo. The 22-year old asked Luke Campbell for feedback on his performance, and the latter admitted Garcia was the hardest puncher he's faced yet.
Watch the clip below, via DAZN Boxing:
Luke Campbell tells Ryan Garcia that he is the hardest puncher he’s ever faced. 💥 pic.twitter.com/eQlmcd101j
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 3, 2021




In case you missed it, here is a ringside view of the punch that finished the fight.
The ringside angle of Ryan Garcia's KO 📲 pic.twitter.com/3cOe1PVUqv
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 3, 2021
Campbell fought his first fight in nearly one and half years. The British professional boxer lost his previous match to Vasyl Lomachenko back in August 2019.
As for Garcia, he certainly showed that he is a legitimate threat in the sport of boxing. Many believed Campbell would be his toughest challenge yet. That proved to be true as he dealt Garcia's first career knock down in the second round. Nonetheless, the 22-year old American was able to weather the early storm and dominated en route to arguably his best career victory yet. In fact, Garcia is the first person to ever score a stoppage on Campbell.
The newly-crowned WBC interim lightweight champion is certainly on the rise.