Keith Idec brings word that struggling 21-year-old middleweight prospect Elijah Garcia will helm 2025’s first PBC on Prime show against former Olympian Terrell Gausha on February 15th.
Garcia (16-1, 13 KO) had the look of a blue-chipper during his 2023 campaign, bouncing back from an iffy performance against Kevin Salgado with a violent finish of Jose Armando Resendiz on the Canelo vs Charlo PPV opener. A subsequent March showdown with the historically underwhelming Kyrone Davis seemed like an easy pick-me-up before resuming his rise, but Garcia wound up falling ill at the eleventh hour, pushing the bout to June.
Things did not improve from there. Garcia blew weight by more than three pounds and ultimately dropped what absolutely should not have been a split decision.
Gausha (24-4, 12 KO) is 3-3 in his last six, though those losses came to the very capable Erickson Lubin, Tim Tszyu, and most recently Carlos Adames. Between his durability, skills, and seasoning, he’s by no means a gimme for Garcia, who will need to be fully dialed-in if he wants to regain some luster.