Garcia Names Most Realistic Option For Next Fight

WBC Welterweight Champion Ryan Garcia (25-2) is targeting an August return, but talks over a fight with Conor Benn (25-1-0) have stalled, leaving Teofimo Lopez as the most realistic option.

While Garcia had been publicly eyeing a mid-July date, the timeline for his return has been pushed back due to the roadblock in negotiations with Benn’s camp. Following Benn’s unanimous decision win over Regis Prograis on April 11 to remain the WBC mandatory for Garcia, both fighters expressed their desire to make the fight. However, the primary hurdle for the Garcia vs. Benn fight appears to be behind the scenes. Benn is with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, while Garcia is with Golden Boy. Given the fractured relationship with White and De La Hoya, Garcia confirmed it would be tough to make the Benn fight.

“They didn’t want it to happen. Like De La Hoya said, Conor Benn probably wasn’t going to work because he signed with Zuffa. We have to see, man. August. August. It’s going to be August, guys,” Garcia said

A Devin Haney rematch is off after both sides continue to disagree over who is the A-side. There are also rumors Haney may move up to 154 to target a belt in a fourth weight class. Garcia recently stated that this leaves Teofimo Lopez as the most realistic option for an August headliner.

This is despite Lopez coming off a dominant loss to Shakur Stevenson on January 31, as he lost his WBO Junior Welterweight Title. This would really be Ryan’s only option for a high-level, big-money fight in the immediate future, as Shakur Stevenson is against moving up to 147 to take a fight without a rehydration clause.