I’M LEFT WITH THE LUKE OF HEARTBREAK
LUKE CAMPBELL was left heartbroken after his world-title dreams were crushed by a crunching body shot from Ryan Garcia.
The Hull lightweight was hoping for a third crack at becoming world champion by taking on rising US star Garcia in a WBC final eliminator.
But it is the flash American who is on the fast-track to the top after he picked himself up from the canvas in the second round to become the first man to stop Campbell – a left hook to the body doing the damage in the seventh round.
Campbell, 33, has now suffered four career defeats, including worldtitle losses to Jorge Linares and Vasyl Lomachenko in a division stacked with talent.
The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist will consider his future before deciding whether to push again for a title shot but he faces a long road back.
Campbell said: “I’m heartbroken, I really wanted to bring the win back for you all in the UK.
“I have to take my hat off to Ryan Garcia, who has a massive future. I wish him all the best. He’s very heavy-handed.
“Even when I was blocking the shots, I could feel them.”
Garcia, who at 22 is one of the brightest stars in the sport, has won 18 of his 21 professional fights by stoppage.
The win makes him mandatory challenger for WBC lightweight champ Devin Haney.
His performance silenced doubters who claimed he was overhyped as he showed maturity to recover from being floored with a left in the second before delivering a fierce finish.
Garcia said: “My performance definitely showed a lot of people who I really am.
“I wanted to show people that you are not what people call you.
“You are what you choose to be. I choose to be a champion.
“I didn’t let anything stop me from being a champion tonight. Even when he dropped me. I felt I could walk him down but he ended up cracking me. So, I had to adjust and calm down.”