Long odds: Jorge Garcia Perez upsets Charles Conwell

OCEANSIDE, California – What was supposed to be Charles Conwell’s audition for a shot at a world title instead became Jorge Garcia Perez’s showcase.

In a determined performance highlighting the advantages of reach and activity, Mexico’s Garcia Perez, 33-4 (26 KOs), emerged with a split decision victory over Cleveland’s Conwell by scores of 115-113, 113-115, 115-113 Saturday night at Frontwave Arena.

“By winning this fight, a big fight can happen – a world title can happen,” Garcia Perez, 28, said in reference to unified WBO/WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, who was in attendance Saturday to watch his undisputed women’s flyweight champion sister, Gabriela, defend her belts in the main event.

Judges Chris Migliore and Damian Walton awarded the 12th round to Perez to give him their 115-113 scores, while Lou Moret had the final round for Conwell.

It was the ambition of Conwell, 21-1 (16 KOs), to lean on Saturday’s showing to improve his position as the second-ranked WBO contender and move nearer a title shot at Fundora, who is currently in talks with No. 1-ranked mandatory contender Xander Zayas, of Puerto Rico, for a title defense.

Now Garcia Perez is expected to jump from No. 3 past Conwell into that prime position.

Relying on a 3in height advantage and the reach that kept Conwell on the short end of distance exchanges, Garcia Perez said his cornermen instructed him to continue repeating the proven fight plan as the rounds extended.

“My conditioning,” Garcia Perez said, when asked what won him the fight. “My camp was great. Each time out, I feel better and better. I worked really, really hard.”

Although Conwell – a -1200 betting favorite at the start of the night – sought to absorb the punches and land power shots of his own, the wearing effect of the blows began to take effect in the second half of the bout, as the points leaned to Garcia Perez.

The difficulty with Garcia Perez’s length showed that Conwell would have to deal with an even more trying proposition in the 6ft 5½in Fundora, who would own a whopping 13in reach advantage over Conwell.

At 6ft, Garcia Perez is nearer in size.

And by defeating Conwell, Garcia Perez proved he’s nearer in talent, too.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.