Mikey Garcia: Before I Leave 135, I'll Fight Linares in The Summer

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Updated at 12:16 AM EST, Sat Jan 6, 2018
Mikey Garcia: Before I Leave 135, I'll Fight Linares in The Summer

As BoxingScene.com reported earlier this week, World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman has indicated that an order was issued for a mandatory fight between WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) and Jorge Linares (43-3, 27 KOs).

Last year at their annual convention, the WBC ordered the two of them to fight each other - and Sulaiman says his organization will not allow any further postponements for either boxer.

Linares, who holds the WBA world title at the weight, is the mandatory challenger to Garcia's belt because of his status as the WBC's Diamond champion.

Before that fight can happen, both boxers must win in their upcoming assignments.

Garcia is moving up to 140-pounds to challenge IBF junior welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets on February 10th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Linares is also scheduled to fight in the coming weeks. He will make a voluntary defense against once-beaten Mercito Gesta on January 27th in an HBO televised fight from The Forum in Los Angeles, California.

Garcia says his lightweight defense with Linares will take place this year, in the summer.

The undefeated boxer came to an understanding with Golden Boy President Eric Gomez, who promotes Linares, that a summer date was more lucrative for both sides.

"January is not the right month and that is why we have both decided to take an interim fight. We both want this fight, we both want to fight each other, so why not take advantage and wait a few months and generate more money and interest than we would have in January? That is why we have both decided to take an interim fight. He's taking on Gesta on January 27, I'm taking on Lipinets on February 10, so when these are done we will sit down again. It is still the goal," Garcia told Sky Sports.

"I think Gesta is an easier fight for Linares, who is a top guy, is a champion in three divisions and has got the whole package. Even though he had a few losses early on in his career, he has bounced back like a real champion, and he is better now than he was before. I think at 135lbs it is the fight that makes the most sense for me and for him, and before I leave the division permanently I really want to solidify myself as the king of the lightweight division.

"Linares is not going to go down easy and I am not going to go down easy, so we really want to get in the ring in the summer."

Mikey Garcia: Before I Leave 135, I'll Fight Linares in The Summer - Boxing News

 

[The Can Opener]

Fun fight!

I think Linares will make Garcia look slow, one-dimensional and stupid for the first 3 rounds After that Garcia will adjust and his fundamentals will start picking apart Linares who always looks great early. By the middle rounds Linares will start getting beat up and his paper skin won't hold up to Garcia's volume and power. Probably a late stoppage by cuts with a couple knockdowns for good measure.

 

[borntoloseNOT]

Great fight, but what about Lomanchenko fight?

 

[Seano]

Great fight, but what about Lomanchenko fight?

Lomachenko has been calling out guys like Rigondeaux and Gervonta Davis ever since that fight was suggested.

 

[Noctilux]

Lomachenko has been calling out guys like Rigondeaux and Gervonta Davis ever since that fight was suggested.

And Garcia has been calling out all the elites but fighting bums instead.

 

[Seano]

And Garcia has been calling out all the elites but fighting bums instead.

His competition is at least on the level of Lomachenko's recently and he obviously has the better resume overall.

 

[BluntTrauma21]

Love it. Garcia gonna get to his chin but Linares is a hell of a fighter besides that. Mikey too good tho, ultimately.

 

[aries]

Lomachenko has been calling out guys like Rigondeaux and Gervonta Davis ever since that fight was suggested.

So the same goes for Mikey Garcia. Rigo called out Lomachenko for a while and got what he wanted in the end. Why isn't Mikey Garcia interested in fighting the toughest opponent out there for him? Mikey could see that Lomachenko responds to goading, so he could just call him out for a bit and he'd get the fight. But no he goes real quiet and instead announces he'll be moving up weight.

 

[Seano]

So the same goes for Mikey Garcia. Rigo called out Lomachenko for a while and got what he wanted in the end. Why isn't Mikey Garcia interested in fighting the toughest opponent out there for him? Mikey could see that Lomachenko responds to goading, so he could just call him out for a bit and he'd get the fight. But no he goes real quiet and instead announces he'll be moving up weight.

From just a couple of weeks ago-

If he's ready to move up to '35, you know, we could definitely do that. I know that Bob [Arum] won't say anything positive about that, I don't even know if he's interested in actually facing me. The way I know Top Rank works, they'll have somebody else in line for him to win a title at '35, maybe even at '40. Most likely he's not gonna want to face me because Bob won't allow it.

"I don't think [Arum would let Lomachenko near me]. I think Bob Arum has been doing business so well for so long — the way he runs his business — that it's not in his best interest to face me with his fighters, whether it's financial reasons, or taking a loss, or whatever. I think he's not gonna be very excited to do business with me. But I know Lomachenko would take the fight, I would also take that fight so maybe down the road we could actually have that fight."
https://www.badlefthook.com/2017/12...ve-bob-arum-will-allow-vasyl-lomachenko-fight
And thats about right. Thats what I've been saying for a while now. Arum has avoided risky fights for Lomachenko since he lost to Salido. He hasn't had one fight in which anyone thought was even odds, let alone one he might lose.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

@Seano - Wrong. Here's Loma saying he wants Mikey at the Loma-Rigo (Rigo was a no show) post-fight press conference after being asked who he wants next. Even Mikey said he knows Loma wants to fight him badly but has been using the Bob Arum crutch as an excuse to not make this fight (Mikey that is).

 

[aries]

From just a couple of weeks ago-

If he's ready to move up to '35, you know, we could definitely do that. I know that Bob [Arum] won't say anything positive about that, I don't even know if he's interested in actually facing me. The way I know Top Rank works, they'll have somebody else in line for him to win a title at '35, maybe even at '40. Most likely he's not gonna want to face me because Bob won't allow it.

"I don't think [Arum would let Lomachenko near me]. I think Bob Arum has been doing business so well for so long — the way he runs his business — that it's not in his best interest to face me with his fighters, whether it's financial reasons, or taking a loss, or whatever. I think he's not gonna be very excited to do business with me. But I know Lomachenko would take the fight, I would also take that fight so maybe down the road we could actually have that fight."
https://www.badlefthook.com/2017/12...ve-bob-arum-will-allow-vasyl-lomachenko-fight
And thats about right. Thats what I've been saying for a while now. Arum has avoided risky fights for Lomachenko since he lost to Salido. He hasn't had one fight in which anyone thought was even odds, let alone one he might lose.

That's a pretty negative view point from Mikey which is pretty unfortunate as no one said that they would let Lomachenko fight Rigondeaux either but look what happened. I understand that he has that view but it's just unfortunately pessimistic. Why doesn't he give it a shot and see if he can get Lomachenko riled up enough so that Loma demands a fight with him? He even admits that Loma would take the fight if it was offered. Damn shame. Mikey should try making more noise but that's not really his style. He's more of an action than words kind of guy.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

That's a pretty negative view point from Mikey which is pretty unfortunate as no one said that they would let Lomachenko fight Rigondeaux either but look what happened. I understand that he has that view but it's just unfortunately pessimistic. Why doesn't he give it a shot and see if he can get Lomachenko riled up enough so that Loma demands a fight with him? He even admits that Loma would take the fight if it was offered. Damn shame. Mikey should try making more noise but that's not really his style. He's more of an action than words kind of guy.

The WBC ordered Garcia-Linares which is a good fight. I very much doubt Linares will hold up though in terms of being able to take Mikey's power given his history. Linares gets hit a lot. This was published 9 hours ago. Doesn't seem to me that they're in a rush to fight Loma. If I were Mikey I would fight him this year (end of the year), try and squash him and become the P4P #1 in one fell swoop.

According to Robert Garcia, if Lomachenko’s technical knockout victory over Guillermo Rigondeaux last month taught us anything, it’s that size matters.

“I think with Loma it’s more about when will they be ready to fight Mikey, not [when] Mikey [is] ready to fight Loma,” Robert Garcia told BoxingScene.com recently. “I really believe size is a big difference. People seen it, the whole boxing world seen it with two Olympic gold medalists fighting each other. But Rigo was just too small. Loma actually said it after the fight, that he doesn’t really wanna get credit for that win because it was just a big size difference. And I think Mikey’s in the same situation if we’re trying to challenge Lomachenko.”

Even if Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) defeats IBF junior welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs) on February 10 in San Antonio, the WBC lightweight champion might move back down to 135 pounds for a title unification fight against WBA champion Jorge Linares (43-3, 27 KOs) in the summer. Ukraine’s Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs), the WBO super featherweight champion, hasn’t decided if he’ll remain at 130 pounds or move up to 135 for his next fight.

“Skills-wise, Loma’s one of my favorite fighters,” Robert Garcia said. “I think, pound-for-pound, he’s one or two in the rankings. But size does make a big difference and I think Mikey’s just way too [much] bigger than him. I think in the future, if Loma wins a title at 135 and dominates the division, as Mikey’s doing, or Mikey would be at 140 by then, then it’s a makeable fight. But it looks more like maybe in the future, not now. I think now, we’re more close to making the Linares fight.”

Robert Garcia: Mikey's Too Big to Fight Lomachenko Right Now

 

[aries]

The WBC ordered Garcia-Linares which is a good fight. I doubt Linares will hold up though in terms of being able to take Mikey's power and given his history. Linares gets hit a lot. This was published 9 hours ago. Doesn't seem to me that they're in a rush to fight Loma. If I were Mikey I would fight him this year (end of the year), try and squash him and become the P4P #1 in one fell swoop.


Robert Garcia: Mikey's Too Big to Fight Lomachenko Right Now

Sounds like BS to me. Size wasn't a factor in how Lomachenko beat Rigo. He beat him with speed, movement and skill.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Sounds like BS to me. Size wasn't a factor in how Lomachenko beat Rigo. He beat him with speed, movement and skill.

I smell bs too. Loma was being humble about Rigo not being in his weight class. Robert is now using it as an excuse to delay the fight or not make it at all. The others are how Bob will block this fight even though he offered it to him this summer (shortly before the WBC ordered Garcia-Linares) and how Loma should dominate the Lightweight division now.

The shitty thing is we probably just lost one of the best fights of 2018.

 

[Seano]

@Seano - Wrong. Here's Loma saying he wants Mikey at the Loma-Rigo (Rigo was a no show) post-fight press conference after being asked who he wants next. Even Mikey said he knows Loma wants to fight him badly but has been using the Bob Arum crutch as an excuse to not make this fight (Mikey that is).

We'll see who he fights this year, I suspect disappointing opponents abound and I think you guys know it too. Not sure why you guys fall for the hype surrounding this cherry picker.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

We'll see who he fights this year, I suspect disappointing opponents abound and I think you guys know it too. Not sure why you guys fall for the hype surrounding this cherry picker.

Show me a single titleholder at 130 even willing to face Loma. The only titleholder I've seen say he's interested is at Lightweight, Linares, who is fighting Mikey next. These titleholders will continue to duck him like they have been.

Published last month before the Rigo fight

Vasyl Lomachenko's Move To Lightweight A Matter Of WHEN, Not IF

“(How far in weight) depends on my body, depends on my muscles,” Lomachenko, 28, said. “I know 135 pounds, I’ll move up, it’s 100%, but I don’t know when. After this fight, maybe. After two fights, I don’t know, but I’ll move up.”

Published yesterday

Espinoza Open to Discussing Bouts Between Showtime, ESPN Boxers

Stephen Espinoza is intrigued by the idea of having boxers tied to Showtime getting in the ring to face fighters affiliated with ESPN through Top Rank’s partnership with that network.

You're not fooling me, Seano. The timing here is real convenient for Team Garcia to permanently leave the Lightweight division after the Linares bout.

 

[Seano]

I will bet money that Lomachenko's move to 135 directly follows Garcia's exit from that weight class.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I will bet money that Lomachenko's move to 135 directly follows Garcia's exit from that weight class.

I'll bet money that that's why Garcia is only having one more fight there which will be his first title defense (a unification with Linares). He just said at the Lipinets press conference that he felt his best at 135. I wonder why that's suddenly no longer the case? Because he knows Loma is moving up this year and Easter Jr. wants to fight him. He already turned down Easter Jr.

 

[aries]

I'll bet money that that's why Garcia is only having one more fight there which will be his first title defense (a unification with Linares). He just said at the Lipinets press conference that he felt his best at 135. I wonder why that's suddenly no longer the case? Because he knows Loma is moving up this year and Easter Jr. wants to fight him. He already turned down Easter Jr.

More and more it sounds like Garcia is ducking Lomachenko. I think he knows that he will be in a world of problems stylistically if he has to fight someone as slick as Loma is.

 

[dirtroller]

We'll see who he fights this year, I suspect disappointing opponents abound and I think you guys know it too. Not sure why you guys fall for the hype surrounding this cherry picker.

Show me a single active fighter who has faced the level of competition in their first 11 fights that Loma has. You can say whatever you want about the gold medals, the fact is, almost decorated amateur who goes pro still pads their records. Even Marriaga was a solid opponent when you put it in context tbh.