Chris Colbert vs Hector Luis Garcia Preview Feb. 26th, 2022
Unbeaten Chris Colbert of Brooklyn, New York will be taking on undefeated southpaw Hector Luis Garcia of the Dominican Republic in a WBA Jr. Lightweight eliminator this Saturday, Feb. 26th. The 12-rounder from Las Vegas can be seen live in America on Showtime while Canadian fans can catch it on TSN 5. Colbert last fought in July when he beat Tugstogt Nyambayar by unanimous decision to retain the interim WBA belt. Garcia last saw action in December when he beat Isaac Avelar via an eight-round unanimous decision. Colbert won the interim title in January, 2020 when he beat former world champion Jezzrel Corrales via a 12-round unanimous decision and then beat Jaime Arboleda by 11th-round stoppage before beating Nyambayar. He was originally supposed to take on WBA Champion Roger Gutiérrez this weekend but he had to pull out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Colbert vs Garcia Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Hector Luis Garcia +1100
- Chris Colbert -2500
My Pick
Colbert is just 25-years-old and carries a perfect record of 16-0 with 6 Kos. He earned a shot at the interim title by stopping Miguel Beltran Jr in the first round for the vacant NABA-USA Lightweight Title in September, 2019. He’s fought 105 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 following a fine amateur career. He was the Daily News Golden Gloves champion of New York City in 2014.
He then won gold at the 2015 National Championships and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials, but decided to turn pro as he believed there was too much politics in the amateurs. Since turning pro his biggest wins have been over Jezreel Corrales, Jaime Arboleda, Alberto Mercado, Beltran Jr and Nyambayar. Colbert stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 71-inch reach with excellent speed and boxing skills.
Colbert owns a solid chin, but doesn’t have much in the way of one-punch power though with a current knockout ratio of just 37.5 per cent. It hasn’t been a problem so far though since his slick boxing skills have enabled him to remain undefeated as a pro. And to be fair, he’s stopped three of his last six opponents in Arboleda, Beltran and Mario Briones.
The 30-year-old Garcia carries around an impressive record of 14-0 with 10 Kos and definitely has some power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 71.4 per cent. He’s boxed 67 rounds since turning pro in 2016 after a fine amateur career. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 67-inch reach which means he’s an inch taller than Colbert but gives up four inches in reach.
As an amateur, Garcia fought in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he was beaten by Dmitriy Asanau in the bantamweight division. He won a silver medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games where he was beaten by Robeisy Ramirez in the final. He also captured silver at the 2015 Pan American Games and at the 2015 Pan American Championships where he lost to Andy Cruz of Cuba in both finals.
Garcia hasn’t taken on any top-10 opponents as of yet as he’s beaten the likes of Manuel Garcia, Rafael Hernandez, Antoni Armas, Leonel Lugo, Ronal Ron, Jose Luis Graterol and Miguel Moreno. He won the vacant WBA Fedelatin Featherweight Title in 2018 when he stopped Robin Zamora in the second round Oddly, Garcia has also fought to three no-contests against Marco Acevedo, Charlie Serrano and Alfonso Perez.
Prediction…
There’s no doubt Garcia has good power and it needs to be respected but he needs to catch the fleet Colbert first. Anything can happen when fighting a late replacement but I’m expecting Colbert’s superior skills and speed to successfully pull him through.
Colbert may have to work for it but should still remain unbeaten.
Play: Colbert -2500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Chris Colbert betting • Hector Luis Garcia betting