Ryan Garcia‘s next move could be about to become a lot clearer.
Garcia was last in action in September when he made a successful first defence of his WBC welterweight title with a second round knockout win over Conor Benn at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Having hardly broken a sweat in that bout, ‘King Ry’ made it clear that he was hoping for a quick turnaround, with a number of opponents listed as possible options for the WBC champion.
One of them was a clash with former WBA super-lightweight champion Isaac Cruz, while a shock match-up with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has also been touted.
The most desirable option appeared to be a unification showdown with WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez, with the pair having been involved in a war of words in recent months.
It appears that a match-up between Garcia and Lopez could be moving a step closer, after journalist Mike Coppinger reported that the duo are in ‘advanced talks’ over a fight.
“Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are now in advanced talks to fight in the first quarter of 2027, sources tell Ring Magazine. Expect this welterweight title fight to happen next. And it’s a big one.”
Lopez became WBA champion at 147lbs in August after a points win over Rolly Romero, but had been ordered to make a defence against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall next.
An appeal has been made by Lopez’s team to prevent that from happening, but it appears that even if the WBA stick to their guns and enforce the fight with Catterall, that Lopez will choose to vacate the belt in order to secure the showdown with Garcia.
