Garcia vs Calixto

Who won Garcia vs Calixto?

Willibaldo Garcia drew with Rene Calixto by split decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, December 21st, 2024, at Twin Messe Shizuoka, Japan.

The scorecards were announced as 118-110, 114-114, 116-112, meaning it was a split decision.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Flyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 115 pounds (8.2 stone or 52.2 kg).

This contest was for the IBF super flyweight championship of the world.

Garcia was defending his his IBF World Junior Bantamweight Championship for the first time. He won this belt against Rene Calixto in May 2025. He had held this belt for 22 days.

Garcia vs Calixto stats

Back in December 2024, Willibaldo Garcia stepped into the ring with a record of 22 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw.

Rene Calixto made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 23 wins and 0 draws.

Willibaldo Garcia was the older man by 5 years, at 35 years old.

Both Willibaldo Garcia and Rene Calixto fought out of an orthodox stance.

Garcia was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 5 more fights, and made his debut in 2017, 10 months later than Calixto, whose first professional fight was in 2016. He had fought 24 more professional rounds, totaling 159 compared to Calixto's 135.

Willibaldo Garcia went into the fight ranked number 11 by the WBO, and 3 by the IBF at super flyweight.

Rene Calixto was ranked number 13 by the WBO, and 4 by the IBF in the 115lb division.

Activity check

Garcia's last 4 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 5 months and 26 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 10 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 27 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.8 rounds on average.

What time did Garcia vs Calixto start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 AM UTC at Twin Messe Shizuoka, Japan, which was 6:00 AM EST or 3:00 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 11:00 AM GMT in the UK.

What were the odds on Garcia vs Calixto?

Willibaldo Garcia was a 5/4 (+130) underdog going into the contest, while Rene Calixto made his way into the ring at 8/13 (-150) with oddsmakers.