Highlights
–After the opening bell rang, Keith Tapia met Garrett Wilson at the center of the ring, standing toe to toe and ripping right and left crosses, hooks and uppercuts. Tapia did so effectively both from the orthodox and southpaw stances, establishing a blistering pace in the process.
–Wilson signaled that it would be a dog fight in the second, as he wobbled Tapia with a right hand midway through the round, only to be beaten back by a vicious counter attack. Prior to the end of the stanza, Wilson was badly stunned by Tapia’s hard left hand.
–Starting in the sixth, Tapia was more relaxed and dominant from range down the stretch. The highlight was a blistering barrage in the ninth round during which he landed a head-swiveling 14 unanswered blows—all to Wilson’s head.
Keith Tapia overcame a cut over his left eye and delivered a gutsy display of superior power, combination punching, composure and stamina at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. It all added up to a convincing unanimous decision over steel-chinned journeyman Garrett Wilson.
Tapia (17-0, 11 KOs) doubled-up Wilson (16-10-1, 9 KOs) on the stat sheet, outlanding him 218-105 in overall punches to win 97-93 and 99-91 twice. It was the longest fight of Tapia’s career and ended his streak of four consecutive knockout victories.
Despite having a six-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-8 Wilson, Tapia chose to engage toe to toe in the center of the ring from the opening bell, landing jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts to the head and body—all with both hands.
Midway through the first round, Tapia briefly staggered Wilson with a thunderous right hand, then followed up with a similar blow at the 50-second mark. In so doing, he delivered a hard-hitting message to Wilson. Soon after, Wilson delivered a similar message of his own, shaking Tapia with a right hand late in the second—a shot that caused the cut over the unbeaten 25-year-old’s eye.
Unfazed, Tapia answered with a vicious counterattack that left Wilson stunned prior to the end of the round. Then in the third, Tapia’s right uppercut knocked Wilson back at the 1:40 mark, but Wilson again hammered Tapia with a thundering right late in the round before eating a right uppercut before the bell rang.
Wilson’s best round came in the fourth, which the 33-year-old won on all three judges’ scorecards. The highlight came when he pounded Tapia into the ropes with consecutive looping rights at the midway point. But Wilson failed to fully seize the momentum.
From there, Tapia took complete control and impressively closed the show, highlighted by a blistering stretch in the ninth round when he landed 14-unanswered blows, all to Wilson’s head.
While Tapia kept his perfect record intact, Wilson saw his three-fight winning come to an end.
Keith Tapia rocks Garrett Wilson with a right hand during their 200-pound bout in Trenton, New Jersey. Tapia won a unanimous decision to remain unbeaten. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
