Mikey Garcia vs. Elio Rojas: Winner, Recap and Reaction to TKO

Mikey Garcia (35-0, 29 KOs) entered the ring on Saturday for the first time since January 2014, but he looked like the overpowering, undefeated force he has been his entire career. Garcia registered a technical-knockout victory over Elio Rojas (24-3, 14 KOs) in the fifth round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Bob Velin of USA Today noted it was a comeback showdown for each boxer. Garcia "has been sidelined since Jan. 25, 2014 because of a contract dispute with Top Rank, his longtime promotional company." Rojas, meanwhile, "has sat out since Aug. 13, 2014, also because of a contract dispute with his manager," per Velin.

Showtime Boxing passed along highlights from the critical round and Garcia's moment of glory after the win: 

While Garcia was clearly the better fighter on Saturday, Rojas demonstrated solid mettle in Brooklyn. He couldn't keep up, but Mark Kriegel of Showtime Sports praised the fighter's "big heart."

Rojas wasn't just fighting rust and Garcia. Kevin McRae of Bleacher Report pointed out many of the New York fans were squarely in the American Garcia's corner: 

Lance Pugmire of Los Angeles Times thought Rojas was the better fighter in the first round, but Garcia landed an early hard punch that forced Rojas to stumble. Dan Rafael of ESPN said Rojas caught a break from the officials:

Garcia maintained his aggression in the second round, but Rojas hung tough in the initial action. The former earned some momentum in the third round when he threw a hard blow and brought his opponent to the ground. He kept pressing and knocked Rojas to the ground for a second time in the round.

It was a drastic seizing of momentum, and Pugmire said Garcia was already "eyeing [the] finish." Showtime Boxing shared the impressive stretch:

Garcia parlayed that momentum into another solid showing early in the fourth round and appeared to be too much for his opponent, as Velin described:

Right on cue, he finished Rojas. Garcia earned the fifth-round technical knockout for his comeback victory, although SB Nation's Bad Left Hook praised Rojas for the effort against an opponent who was dominant in the ring:

While Rojas displayed physical and mental toughness to stand in the ring and take the beating he did on Saturday, the fight belonged to Garcia. There may have been some rust, but he looked like an overwhelming fighter as he showed the New York fans why he sports a zero in the loss column. 

Theoretically, Garcia should shake more of that rust off as he works his way back, which is a concerning thought for potential future opponents. If he was that dominant on Saturday, Garcia will likely be even more formidable moving forward.

There could very well be more knockout victories in his future.