By: Sean Crose
In a bit of a surprise, Matchroom Boxing announced Sunday that it had signed Mikey Garcia to it’s impressive stable of fighters. “Former four-weight World king Garcia (39-1 30 KOs) will return to action on February 29, exclusively live on DAZN,” the promotional outlet claimed in a press release, “as the California favorite looks to regain his World champion status and continue his glittering career at the elite level.” For his part, the 32 year old Garcia came across as excited. “I am happy to announce my return to the ring for February 29,” Garcia said. “I am eager to make my return and grow my legacy. I look forward to working with Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN and I want to thank all my fans for the continued support. Fight details will be announced soon and I can’t wait to be back in the ring.”
Garcia was last seen in the ring against welterweight powerhouse Errol Spence last March. It was the first time in his career that the acclaimed Garcia had been bested. Still, few criticized the man for not being able to best a rising star a full two weight divisions higher than he had previously fought at. Since that time, Garcia has been conspicuously quiet, with some thinking he might try his hand against former titlist Danny Garcia and still others suggesting he might be interested in facing the iconic Manny Pacquiao. Although no opponent or weight realm has been set for Garcia’s comeback fight, the fact the multi-titlist has signed with Hearn is a notable development in and of itself.
“I’ve been talking to Mikey for over a year now,” said Hearn, “and I’m so happy to welcome him to the team… Mikey is a standout star and I’m looking forward to working with him on big fights moving forward.” Hearn also made it clear that further details on Garcia’s next fight would be sure to come. “We will be announcing the opponent and venue shortly,” he said. “The talent within Matchroom Boxing and on DAZN is unprecedented – we look forward to an epic 2020!” Garcia has been aligned, in one form or other, with a considerable number of high level outlets. Besides being once connected to Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions, Garcia was also fighting on a Premiere Boxing Champions (PBC) card when he faced off against Spence last winter or pay per view.
“Mikey Garcia joining the DAZN roster will allow us to deliver even greater value to our subscribers as our Fight Season schedule begins to take shape for 2020,” DAZN EVP, North America Joseph Markowski claimed. “We’re a data-led business and so we’re naturally drawn to the fact that Mikey has consistently delivered numbers – whether it’s been television audience, pay-per-view buys or ticket sales. We look forward to welcoming his fans to DAZN on Leap Year Day.”