Young rising star Garcia drops Brit Campbell in 7th round

Ryan Garcia staggered Luke Campbell with a body blow after coming back from an early knockdown, winning a WBC lightweight title fight on a seventh-round knockout Saturday night.

The 22-year-old California was in control when his left hand to Campbell's right side sent the English fighter to one knee at 1:58 of the seventh. Campbell couldn't get up, giving the undefeated Garcia his 18th knockout in 21 fights.

Campbell (20-4) knocked down Garcia with a left hook in the second round, but didn't land many other punches while Garcia was the more aggressive fighter until the decisive blow.

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2019 file photo, Ryan Garcia, looks on after landing a punch to Romero Duno (not seen) during their lightweight boxing match in Las Vegas. Garcia meets Britain’s Luke Campbell, a 2012 Olympic champion, in an interim WBC lightweight title fight. The bout was postponed a month and moved from California after Campbell tested positive for COVID-19.(AP PhotoIsaac Brekken, File)

The bout was postponed about a month because Campbell tested positive for COVID-19. It was moved to Texas because of coronavirus restrictions in Garcia's home state.

“I've never been dropped in my life,” said Garcia, a rising star with a large social media following. “I think I got a little too excited in the moment.”

Campbell had lost two previous title fights after winning a gold medal at his home Olympics in London in 2012. It was the fifth straight knockout for Garcia since what his camp considered a disappointing majority decision over Carlos Morales in 2018.

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz, who won a bronze medal in the sport’s first Olympic race, died after being trapped in an avalanche, the Swiss ski federation said Tuesday. He was 50.

Kestenholz was third in snowboard giant slalom at the 1998 Nagano Olympics — a debut event that became a story of the games when Canadian gold medalist Ross Rebagliati fought to keep his title after a positive test for cannabis.

The Swiss racer competed at two more Winter Games, was twice snowboardcross champion at the X-Games and continued a professional career in extreme sports.

Kestenholz was snowboarding with a friend who was skiing Sunday in the Lötschental valley of Valais canton (state). The avalanche started at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) for unknown reasons, Valais police said in a statement.

Kestenholz was trapped by snow and helped by his friend before being airlifted by helicopter to the hospital, first to Visp then to Sion which is close to Crans-Montana.

Swiss daily Berner Zeitung first reported Tuesday the victim was Kestenholz.

AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE - Gold medalist Ross Rebagliati of Canada, center, silver medalist Thomas Prugger of Italy, left, and Ueli Kestenholz of Switzerland celebrate after the Men's Giant Slalom snowboarding competition Sunday, Feb. 8, 1998 in Yamanouchi, Japan. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file)