Garcia Has Final Say in Bout With Molina

LAS VEGAS — Surviving both a cut above the right eye suffered early in the fight and a knockdown in the last round, Roberto Garcia of Oxnard won a close, but unanimous decision over John John Molina to retain his International Boxing Federation junior lightweight title in the semi-main event Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

When it was over, both Garcia (32-0, 24 knockouts) and Molina (45-6, 30 knockouts) continued their war with words.

Garcia was angry at Molina for hitting the canvas in the closing seconds after claiming he had been the victim of a low blow.

“He tried to get me disqualified,” Garcia said. “I didn’t mean to do it. He hit me low during the entire fight, but I didn’t complain.”

Countered Molina, himself a former two-time junior lightweight champ: “I thought I threw more punches. I knocked him down. Look at Garcia’s face and look at my face. I was robbed.”

Zab Judah (19-0, 14 knockouts) knocked out Wilfredo Negron (17-4, 14 knockouts) at 1:44 of the fourth round to win the International Boxing Federation interim junior welterweight championship.

The interim title is a device IBF officials are using to send a message to Vincent Phillips, still officially the champion: Defend your crown or lose it. If Phillips does not now fight Judah, Judah can remove the word “interim” from his title.

Goyo Vargas was knocked down by a short left hook in the 12th and final round of his match against Ben Tackie for the vacant World Boxing Council Continental America lightweight title, but got up to win a unanimous decision. Vargas improved to 39-6-1 with 28 knockouts in handing Tackie (18-1, 11 knockouts) his first loss.

In the first fight of a long afternoon, a fight that began at 3:30 p.m. in front of mostly empty seats, Lance (Mount) Whitaker of Los Angeles remained unbeaten at 18-0 with 16 knockouts by scoring a TKO victory over veteran Alex Stewart (43-9, 40 knockouts). The fight was stopped at 1:40 of the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout because of a deep cut over Stewart’s right eye.