Ryan Garcia vs. Emmanuel Tagoe: date, time, how to watch, background

Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia returns to the ring against Emmanuel Tagoe on Saturday in San Antonio on DAZN.

Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) vs. Emmanuel Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs)

Date: Saturday, April 9 Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT Where: Alamodome, San Antonio TV/Stream: DAZN Cost: DAZN is $19.99 per month or $99 annually Division: Lightweight (135 pounds) Rounds: 12 At stake: No major titles Pound-for-pound ranking: None Odds: Garcia 11½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets) Also on the card: Marlen Esparza vs. Naoko Fujioka, flyweights (for Esparza’s WBC and Fujioka’s WBA titles: Gabriel Rosado vs. Shane Mosley Jr., super middleweights; George Rincon vs. Alejandro Frias, junior welterweights Prediction: Garcia KO 5 Background: The gifted, hard-punching Garcia is coming off his most sensational performance, one in which he got up from a knockdown to stop former Olympic champion Luke Campbell with a single body shot in the seventh round 15 months ago. He then teased potential fights against some of the biggest names in the sport only to take time off to tend to his mental health. Assuming he wins on Saturday – and he’s a significant favorite – one of the sport’s brightest young stars will be in a strong position to face undisputed champion George Kambosos or one of the other top lightweights next. He left trainer Eddy Reynoso and joined forces with Joe Goossen during his hiatus. Tagoe is a solid, experienced opponent. The Ghanaian lost his pro debut but has won every fight since, including a majority decision over Mason Menard in November 2020. That was his most-recent fight, meaning he will have been inactive a few months longer than Garcia. This will be the native of Accra’s third fight in the United States.