Garcia Outboxes Imanaga, Scoring a Knockdown

On December 27, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of "The Ring V: Night of the Samurai," a lightweight bout (up to 61.2 kg) took place between 26-year-old Japanese fighter Taiga Imanaga (9-1, 5 KOs) and 31-year-old Dominican Eridson Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs).

The fight concluded with a split decision victory for Garcia: 96-93 and 95-94 for Garcia, while the third judge scored it 95-94 for Imanaga. A pivotal moment occurred in the 8th round when Imanaga was dropped for a knockdown.

For Garcia, this was his fourth bout of 2025, entering the ring on a streak of two consecutive stoppage wins. Imanaga was competing in a 10-round bout for only the second time in his career, having won his previous one by unanimous decision.