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Mike CoppingerESPN
Ryan Garcia is inching closer to his first title shot. The WBC on Tuesday ordered a lightweight title eliminator between Garcia and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, according to a letter sent to the fighters that was obtained by ESPN.
If no deal is struck between Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and Cruz’s promoter, Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, a purse bid will be held on June 14. The winner of the proposed fight would be guaranteed a shot at the WBC 135-pound title held by Devin Haney. Haney meets George Kambosos for the undisputed lightweight championship on June 4 on ESPN.
It’s possible that either Garcia or Cruz decides not to proceed with the fight, but a matchup between the two lightweights is highly anticipated, especially with a title shot on the line.
“I’m so excited!” Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) wrote on Instagram, where he boasts nearly 9 million followers. “Little chance this man escapes from his fate when he enters the ring with me. … Time to make this happen, don’t do anything weird. Let’s give the fans what they want!”
Garcia, ESPN’s No. 6 lightweight, formerly trained alongside Canelo Alvarez in San Diego, but the 23-year-old parted ways with Eddy Reynoso ahead of his return bout last month. Now trained by Joe Goossen, Garcia earned a unanimous-decision victory over Emmanuel Tagoe in his first action in 15 months.
He scored a career-best win in January 2021 when he stopped Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell and sent him into retirement, but circumstances sidelined him for the rest of the year. First, Garcia withdrew from a planned July 2021 fight with Javier Fortuna to address his mental health. Then, a matchup with Joseph Diaz Jr. was scrapped after Garcia underwent surgery to repair his right wrist.
Cruz, a 23-year-old Mexican, would represent the stiffest competition of Garcia’s career. “Pitbull” gave Gervonta Davis all he could handle in their December meeting and followed up with a fifth-round TKO of Yuriorkis Gamboa last month.
Like Garcia, Cruz (23-2-1, 16 KOs) has never competed for a world title.