The last time Rod Salka (24-5, 4 KOs) fought in a nationally televised main event, he was brutally knocked out by Danny Garcia in a mismatch so egregious that while the New York State Athletic Commission inexplicably approved the bout, the WBC and WBA would not sanction it as a 140-pound title defense for Garcia.

On Thursday night’s Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN card in Indio, California, Salka once again played the role of massive underdog, this time within his own weight class against former WBC 130-pound champion Francisco Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KOs). This was Vargas’ second fight since losing his belt by TKO to fellow Mexican Miguel Berchelt, as the fan-favorite continues to build himself back towards title contention.

Keen observers happened to spot the trunks Salka was sporting before the fight began. The writing said “America 1st” and the trunk pattern was in the form of a brick wall. Presumably these are references to President Donald Trump’s “America First” political stance, as well as Trump’s plan to build a massive wall along the USA-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration.

Lmao enjoy getting plastered by a Mexican my guy pic.twitter.com/uQnETLC0vE — Phil Lo Grey-co (@BoxrecGrey) April 13, 2018

As expected, Salka had practically nothing for Vargas, and Vargas steadily broke his opponent down until dropping him with a body shot towards the end of the fifth round. The beating continued into the sixth round, as Salka again took some heavy punishment to the body, and his corner stopped the fight before the start of the seventh.

Video of the knockdown can be seen here:

Rod Salka wore “America 1st” and a wall pattern on his trunks against Mexican fighter Francisco Vargas, and ended up getting his ass kicked #boxing pic.twitter.com/CmNfIeU6X1 — Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) April 13, 2018

This was Salka’s first loss in boxing since the infamous Garcia bout back in 2014, and his choice of in-ring attire has since garnered widespread attention, including from Deadspin, Washington Post, Newsweek, the Irish Independent, and Univision.

In addition to being a pro boxer, Salka ran as a Republican for a Pennsylvania House of Representatives seat in 2016, but lost to incumbent Democratic candidate Bill Kortz by a near 2-to-1 voting margin.