Imanaga vs Garcia Predictions: Japanese prospect paired with late sub

Undefeated lightweight Taiga Imanaga looks to continue his impressive pro start this Saturday, December 27 against Eridson Garcia. The bout serves as an undercard attraction for Naoya Inoue’s undisputed super bantamweight title defence against David Picasso. The Mohammed Abdo Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will host the event with live coverage on DAZN.

Read on for my Imanaga vs Garcia predictions.

Imanaga vs Garcia Odds

Imanaga is your 1/2 favourite for this one. Garcia is priced at 7/4. The draw is marketed at 14/1 here.

Imanaga vs Garcia Fight Preview

Imanaga had been set to face WBA number-three Armando Martinez Rabi, before the latter withdrew for reasons. The 9-0 Japanese prospect now faces late replacement on southpaw Garcia, who was enlisted for this task two weeks ago.

Imanaga had been looking to annex that high ranking of Martinez’s, while Garcia is world-ranked by the WBO and WBA down at super featherweight. A victory here for either will give them a significant boost in the standings. 

The home fighter was facing his toughest fight yet in Martinez and the same is true of Garcia. Imanaga’s record has thus far been built on domestic names or tough gatekeepers. Someone who embodies the latter is Hebi Marapu, the 19-3-1 campaigner who Imanaga squeaked past in a tight split decision.

Improvements were shown when Imanaga KO’ed the canny Marvin Esquierdo, one fight after the Filipino had taken Kenichi Ogawa the full 10 rounds. That sort of Imanaga will have to turn up if he is to get past Garcia.

The Dominican-born resident of Texas was preparing for a fight in his homeland when the call came. The 31-year-old is 21-1, with his loss coming in a first-round knockout at the hands of Maryland dangerman Jordan White. Garcia has five wins since, playing the rankings game and picking up regional sanctioning body titles to climb onto the global scene.

Garcia’s standout win, and the best victory on either his or Imanaga’s resume, is a 10-round unanimous decision over William Foster III. The world-ranked American found himself counter-punched into defeat by the nimble southpaw.

For Imanaga, the mission has not changed. Get in the ring on a card beamed across the world and impress against a rated contender. Garcia is preparing for the proverbial free hit. Lose and look good and the opportunities will keep coming. Win and the phone will ring off the hook. It was ever thus.

Imanaga vs Garcia Full Card

Naoya Inoue vs David Picasso

Junto Nakatani vs Sebastian Hernandez Reyes

Willibaldo Garcia Perez vs Kenshiro Teraji

Taiga Imanaga vs Eridson Garcia

Reito Tsutsumi vs Leobardo Quintana Sanchez

Imanaga vs Garcia Prediction

This is an interesting physical match-up, with both men standing 5’9” and exhibiting 71” reach. Imanaga often out-sizes his foes, using his range-finding jab to assess them for destruction.  But Garcia can match him in the dimensional stakes.

Neither is a banger in the George Foreman sense of the word. Their knockout wins have largely come through accumulation. Garcia will let Imanaga dictate the pace for as long as it benefits him. But if Imanaga lands, I reckon the late sub ups the pace.

This will test Imanaga. Can he take the heat against an ambitious contender? I reckon so, which is why I make him a points winner at 13/10.

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