‘I just prayed he got up’: Rising star Garcia OBLITERATES opponent with KO of the year contender (WATCH)

Rising American star Ryan Garcia needed just 80 seconds to lay waste to Nicaragua’s Francisco Fonseca in their lightweight bout in California, scoring a savage early contender for knockout of the year.

Garcia, 21, detonated a lighting left hook on Fonseca inside the first round at the Honda Center in Anaheim, crumpling the Nicaraguan before his head bounced off the canvas.

Fonseca initially lay prone, eyes open but oblivious to his surroundings although then stirring as the referee waved off the fight.

The brutal shot was one for the highlights reel – and was later shared by Garcia with the caption: “I just prayed he got up.”

It was a destructive night’s work for the unbeaten young American, who improved to 20 wins from 20 fights, 17 coming by way of knockout.

WBC Silver champion Garcia later said he had learned the blistering left hook from studying videos of American all-time great Sugar Ray Robinson.

“It was good. It didn’t last that long, but I watched a video of Sugar Ray Robinson and he did this fake. I threw the perfect left hook. I saw it and went for the left hook,” Garcia said.

After obliterating the 26-year-old Fonseca, Garcia trained his sights on a host of lightweight rivals – including veteran Venezuelan former multiple world champion Jorge Linares, fellow US youngster Devlin Haney, American WBA lightweight king Gervonta Davis, and British former title challenger Luke Campbell.

Linares was in action earlier in the night in Anaheim, beating Carlos Morales with a fourth-round knockout, while Garcia was joined in the ring after his victory by Haney, the WBC lightweight champion in recess who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury.

"I had a plan for 2020 that was to shock the world. I am about to shock the world, I will beat Linares, beat Luke Campbell, beat Gervonta Davis and then go after Devin,” said Garcia, who is promoted by Oscar de la Hoya.