By: Hans Themistode
Teofimo Lopez and Gervonta Davis proved their star power and boxing ability recently.
Just last weekend, the 25 year old Davis headlined his first Pay-Per-View event when he took on Leo Santa Cruz. The Baltimore native found himself on an endless highlight reel loop when he scored a sixth round uppercut that ended the night. Just a few weeks prior, Lopez pulled in just short of three million views in the headline spot of an ESPN telecast against Vasiliy Lomachenko. Lopez walked into that contest as a prohibited underdog but outboxed and outslugged his man as he became the youngest undisputed champion of all time.
While both fighters may campaign at 135 pounds, if they were willing to move up to 140, then former four division champion Mikey Garcia says he would be more than willing to meet them there.
“I’m not coming down to 135 anytime soon, probably never,” said Garcia during a recent interview with Fight Hype. “Maybe 140, maybe I can do that. I can come down to 140 and meet some of the lightweights at 140. Lopez if he decides to move up to 140 or Davis, those would be good fights. Titles or no titles I think those would be good.”
Although Davis hasn’t expressed a desire to move up to the super lightweight division, Lopez on the other hand, has struggled to make 135 pounds. The recently crowned undisputed lightweight titlist has been vocal in wanting to move five pounds north to take on the winner of unified champions Jose Ramirez vs Josh Taylor which is set to take place sometime in early 2021.
With both titleholders currently promoted by Bob Arum and Top Rank however, Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs) doesn’t see a path to hoisting another world title. The feud between Garcia and Arum has impeded the California resident from facing many of his fighters.
For Garcia, matchups against Davis and Lopez would draw huge ratings, but with no world titles on the line against either of them, he believes it might be a better idea to stay in the welterweight division.
“If I want a title fight then 140 ain’t the division for me right now.”
Garcia has spent his entire career dominating weight classes and winning world titles. Yet, with a one sided loss at the hands of unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in March of 2019, Garcia has found his transition to a bigger weight class much more difficult.
With that being said, the soon to be 33 year old dreams of becoming a five division world champion. In his last contest against Jessie Vargas, Garcia kept his dreams alive as he dropped his man before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.
Since then, Garcia has targeted a showdown with WBA welterweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao. Despite his interest in facing off against either Davis or Lopez, if it was up to Garcia, he would sign on the dotted line in an instant if a contract with Pacquiao’s name on it just so happened to come across his desk.
“That’s still the plan,” explained Garcia. “The idea is still to land a fight with Manny. I think in boxing terms that’s my best fight and I would be Manny’s best fight. Financially I think it makes the most sense for him also. It would be a great fight.”
