Oscar Duarte is leaving Texas with a bitter taste in his mouth.
The 27-year-old boxer suffered his second loss of his career to Ryan Garcia, but the method of the loss sits wrong with him.
Garcia (24-1, 20KOs) won via a technical knockout in the eighth round. Duarte (26-2-1, 21KOs) got up at the count nine but the ref halted the action. "I felt like it was unfair," Duarte said at the post-fight press conference.
"I beat the count," he added. "It wasn’t fair that he didn’t let me continue … I got up and felt good. I was ready to continue."
Duarte continued: "I still had some fight left in me. I was ready to keep going."
This was Garcia's first win since losing to Gervonta Davis via seventh-round knockout in April, and his first since linking up with his new boxing coach, Derrick James, who is best known for working with Errol Spence Jr., and Jermell Charlo.
Duarte, who got up at the bell, was flustered the moment the bout was called off.
He was behind on all three of the judges' scorecards in the eighth round with the scores being 69-64, 68-65, 68-65 for Garcia at the time of the stoppage, though had his best rounds in the six and seventh before being stopped.
"Tonight — it wasn't my night, but I want to be champion. I want to thank Oscar [De La Hoya], and I want to thank Ryan [Garcia]. We won't stop here. We already have more coming [and I am going to] keep going."
