Ryan Garcia Now Has Options At Lightweight

At one point, Ryan Garcia was just looking for the best overall deal for him. Now, it appears he is in the driver’s seat for two potential fights that could change his life.

Early last week, Garcia (20-0) was ordered by the WBC to face former title contender Luke Campbell in an interim title fight. The winner would face WBC Lightweight Champion Devin Haney. A young prospect at 21, Garcia is now being poached by another organization. The WBO has ordered a fight between “KingRy” and Emmanuel Tagoe.

The winner of the fight, which they have until July 26 to accept, would face the WBO Lightweight Champion, who is currently Vasiliy Lomachenko. Per Boxing Scene, WBO Championship committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas stated to both camps the following:

“Please be advised the parties have twenty (20) days upon receipt of this letter to negotiate and reach an agreement regarding the WBO Lightweight Elimination contest between WBO Lightweight Participants Ryan García and Emmanuel Tagoe. If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a Purse Bid will be ordered pursuant with the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”

Garcia has won seven fights since 2018. He won the WBO-NABO and WBC Silver Lightweight Titles against Romero Duno in November via TKO, his third win in a row via knockout. Back in February, he beat Francisco Fonseca with a devastating knockout punch. This news comes after Garcia called out Golden Boy and DAZN following a July 4 bout getting nixed. He wanted $500,000 and was offered $200,000 for a fight. Now, he may get a bigger payday with a potential Lomachenko fight and a shot at a world title.

Tagoe (31-1) lost his first professional bout in 2004 and hasn’t been beaten since. The 31-year-old fought twice in 2019 and beat Vyacheslav Gusev (via unanimous decision) and Ishmael Aryeetey (via TKO) just a few months after one another. Born in Ghana, the man with 15 wins via knockout last fought in July. He was supposed to fight this year but the coronavirus pandemic postponed a return bout.

Peter Kahn, the manager of Tagoe, stated both fighters are in the perfect position to fight for gold.

“The WBO did the right thing by ordering the eliminator,” Kahn stated. “It’s an excellent fight for both Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe.

“They’re both one fight away from securing a world title shot. Possibly for the undisputed lightweight championship depending on how the Lomachenko vs. Lopez fight plays out.”

Haney does not currently have an opponent planned for him yet. Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez are scheduled for a unification bout on September 19, according to Top Rank’s Bob Arum. The fight is rumored to take place in Allegiant Stadium, home of the now-Las Vegas Raiders.