Kevin Newman II Upsets Elijah Garcia by Majority Decision

Las Vegas has a way of reducing promising careers to cautionary tales, and on a warm Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Elijah Garcia provided further evidence that youthful talent, however considerable, counts for precious little when the mind is elsewhere, and the body is unprepared. Kevin Newman II, a 34-year-old veteran trained by Roy Jones Jr., claimed a majority decision victory over the previously highly touted Garcia in a ten-round light heavyweight contest at a catch weight of 172 pounds, delivering another sobering setback to a young man who not so long ago was considered one of the brightest prospects in the sport.

The scorecards told their story. Judge Eric Cheek gave Newman eight rounds for a decisive 98-92. David Sutherland scored it 96-94 for Newman, while Kermit Bayless had it even at 95-95. The majority of judges were correct by any reasonable measure.

Newman, from Los Angeles and now 19-3-1 with 11 stoppages, arrived in Las Vegas carrying an eight-fight winning streak and the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from a man who knows exactly what he is about. Garcia, by contrast, carried baggage that no amount of corner advice could have lightened. The 22-year-old southpaw from Glendale, Arizona, reportedly broke down on the drive over from his home state on the Thursday before the fight. It is the sort of detail that ought to be irrelevant by the time the bell rings, but there are occasions when the fates are telling a fighter something, and he would do well to listen.

Garcia has been on a wayward path since his impressive 2023 technical knockout of Jose Armando Resendiz. Resendiz has since claimed the WBA super middleweight title. That win, delivered on the Canelo-Charlo pay-per-view card at the T-Mobile Arena, had marked Garcia as a future world champion. A power-punching southpaw with genuine knockout credentials, Garcia also had the instincts of a fourth-generation professional. He seemed to possess everything the sport demands. What followed has been a stark reminder that boxing does not wait for those who drift.

Garcia lost his previous outing to Kyrone Davis, who upset him by split decision in June 2024, before surviving a first-round knockdown to claim a debatable split-decision victory over Terrell Gausha in March 2025. The demanding weight cut against Gausha revealed that the 160-pound middleweight limit was no longer viable for Garcia. As a result, Saturday's contest was scheduled at super middleweight, but specifically at a catch weight of 172 pounds, since neither fighter aimed for the official 168-pound limit. This change in division prompts uncertainty about whether Garcia's weight issues are truly resolved or simply delayed.

Newman, trained by defensive master Roy Jones Jr., brought maturity and intelligence to this fight. Garcia could not match that. The challenger—if that term still applies, given the trajectory of Garcia's career- fought with patience and precision. He picked his moments and punished Garcia whenever the Arizonan pressed forward carelessly.

The opening rounds were competitive. Garcia used his southpaw jab to establish range, while Newman worked from the outside and looked for openings. Garcia's size, six feet, seemed to matter in those exchanges. His power kept Newman honest. But Newman, experienced and calm, never abandoned his plan. He gradually imposed himself as the fight went on.

Newman landed a telling right uppercut on Garcia approximately thirty seconds into the seventh round, a punch that served as something of a signpost for the remainder of the contest. From that point, Newman grew in authority while Garcia appeared to retreat into habits that had cost him before, pressing forward without the accuracy to justify his aggression, and failing to defend himself adequately when his opponent chose to let his hands go.

Newman was the more active and accurate puncher throughout the ninth round, and knowing he required the tenth, he let his hands go freely in the final three minutes. Garcia pressed forward, but Newman landed the flush punches that mattered most and left the ring with the victory his performance deserved.

To his credit, Garcia was never seriously hurt. His chin held firm, and he remained competitive throughout. But competitiveness is not enough at this level, and the judges' cards reflected what the watching audience had seen clearly enough: a veteran outworking and outthinking a younger man who has yet to find the consistency that separates contenders from champions.

Newman's journey to this moment has not been without difficulty. He suffered back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to Genc Pllana and Manuel Gallegos in February 2020 and June 2021, respectively, but has since won eight straight bouts. At 34, he has rebuilt himself into a legitimate threat at the top of the light heavyweight and super middleweight landscape, and the backing of Roy Jones Jr., whatever one thinks of Jones as a promoter or trainer, has plainly given him both a polish and a belief that were perhaps previously missing.

For Garcia, the questions are now pressing and unavoidable. He has now lost twice in his last three fights, and his descent from a number-one ranking has been rapid and uncomfortable. A fighter of his age and ability retains the capacity to reverse such a slide, but the pattern of late arrivals, questionable weight management, and inconsistent performances demands honest examination. His family,  father George Jr., grandfather George Sr., and great-grandfather before them, have given him a bloodline steeped in the sport. What the next chapter requires is rather less heritage and rather more application.