PBC Boxing: The Chelsea At The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas:
The thing about being a warrior, is you don’t just call off a fight night. No matter the circumstances. Especially if you truly believe all the cards are in your favor. And that’s where Chris Colbert was sitting. But in actuality Colbert falls in trap fight.
The brash highly-talented 25-year old was supposed to get his first crack at a title against Roger Gutierrez and his WBA super featherweight strap. But Covid-19 took him out of action three-weeks ago. And doing the “gritty blue collar” thing was Hector Garcia. So someone’s “0” had to go.
Post-fight Colbert admitted he wasn’t himself, but stayed humble saying:
“I would like a rematch. I’m going to take my losses like my wins; no excuses. But let’s run it back”.
Colbert Falls In Trap
The Brooklyn New York native wasn’t his typical laser fast feet and precision hands. Instead he basically stayed in front of a hard hitter… and got hit. The easy unanimous decision win of 118-109 2x, 119-108; puts “El Droide” in line for the title shot against Gutierrez. Pretty good for someone who walked into the ring unranked by the WBA.
For whatever reason Colbert continued to back himself to the ropes, helping Garcia take complete control of the fight. Colbert spent rounds 5-10 being barraged with hooks and upper cuts after doing some trading early in the fight. Then he spent the last two running. As he said later, “I’m not looking to make a mistake”. Although that came in the 7th when he walked into a straight counter left, putting him on the canvas for the first time.
Colbert Falls In Trap, What’s Next For Garcia
Garcia mentioned that he knew he needed to be in top physical condition for this fight. And for him to make an even bigger jump against Gutierrez, he’ll need even more.
Yes, Garcia showed some really good hand speed to go along with his hard hitting style. However, Gutierrez has a serious right hand he throws from every possible angle. So Garcia is looking down the barrel of a very short night if he doesn’t work triple-hard in a full camp. And had Colbert been more decisive in his attack, more small holes of Garcia could have been exposed.
But they are there nonetheless. Garcia can get hit, and although he has a “dog” in him, he’s just not at the champions level. And him being a southpaw won’t bother Gutierrez in the slightest. At least if past performances mean anything. So it may soon be striking midnight for Cinderella.
