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Mikey Garcia: Let's make a fight

By Anthony "Zute" George

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thumbnail_mikey-garcia--zlaticanin-bygerman22.jpg German Villasenor
thumbnail_mikey-garcia--zlaticanin-bygerman22.jpg German Villasenor

Mikey Garcia’s destruction of Dejan Zlaticanin reminded the boxing world, of not just how good he is, but the kind of star power he can generate.

 

In 2013, Mikey was on the verge of becoming boxing’s next megastar, courtesy of dominate performances over top-tier talent such as Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez and Roman Martinez; the success of Orlando Salido since his loss to Garcia, has added to Mikey’s stature.

 

Mikey Garcia is back, his O remains intact, and he is once again a world champion. With the hardware, and growing stature, all eyes are on Garcia now. Who does he fight next? Mikey has expressed desire to unify the lightweight division, and has also put a move up to the talent rich 140-pound division on the table.

 

Contemplating who will lace ‘em up against Garcia next is as much fun as filling out a daily fantasy basketball lineup, and just as cumbersome… the possibilities are endless, however, exactly what we get is anyone’s guess.

 

Garcia vs. Terence Crawford or Vasyl Lomachencko are the most clamoring possibilities. Either match up would produce pugilistic talent inside ring that would rival any boxing match, from any era in boxing history. However, both Crawford and Lomachencko fight for Top Rank, the company Garcia broke away from via a lengthy legal battle.

 

Anything is possible in boxing, but the worst-case scenario here is probable.

 

Have no fear boxing fans, there are still plenty of good possibilities for Garica in 2017. Here are the top three scenarios for me:

 

1. The winner of the Terry Flanagan vs. Petr Petrov fight. Flanagan defends the WBO Lightweight title against Petrov April 8th in Manchester; making a unification fight with Garcia late Summer/early fall a natural. The brawling Petrov; who has greatly improved over the years, would be the more exciting choice. However, Flanagan, a slick southpaw, presents a style that would either bring out the best in Mikey, or give him fits. Regardless of who wins in April, promotor Frank Warren would be willing to work to Team Garcia to make an intriguing unification fight.

Mp1-Mikey-Garcia-By-German-Villasenor.jpg
Mp1-Mikey-Garcia-By-German-Villasenor.jpg

2. Dante Jordan. The rugged Mexican-born pugilist has a fight scheduled in July against Francisco Rojo; so, it might be tricky fitting this fight in. At best, we will not see this fight until the final quarter of 2017, unless Jordan scraps his July obligation. Jordan is on a five-fight winning streak, is the number one ranked fighter in the WBC, and is incapable of being in a bad fight. I hope either Garcia or Jorge Linares, give Jordan a chance. I realize this is not the big-ticket item Garcia is looking for, however, if boxing is going to have a resurgent 2017, I believe we need to see more champions give title shots to contenders who paid their dues. Jordan is battled tested and has more than paid his dues.

 

3. Jorge Linares- Linares defends his WBA version of the Lightweight Title in March against Anthony Crolla, whom he defeated back in September. I do not foresee a Linares defeat, but it is not baked in the cake either; the fight does take place in Crolla’s backyard. Assume Linares wins, then a lightweight unification showdown with Mikey Garcia right smack in the middle of the Summer is a strong possibility. It has been a long time since El Nino has lost a boxing match, and he has never given less than 100% inside the squared circle. The fruits of his labor have been a consequence of his blood and sweat. Yes, he would be a big underdog, however, if he gets past the Crolla rematch, how can anyone deny he has earned the right to participate in a high-profile unification bout? If Crolla wins, a unification fight is still possible, but Team Crolla would have to agree to leave the friendly confines of Manchester. Not sure they will.

 

Of course, none of these fights seem possible until, the earliest, July. Based on his post-fight interview last week, my guess is Mikey wants to return to the ring before that. If that is the case, look for Garcia to defend his title against Russian southpaw Denis Shafikov; a boxing lifer who has experience fighting on the championship level. While nothing can compare with a Garcia v. Crawford, or Garcia v. Lomachencko showdown, I think whoever Mikey Garcia fights next will be a treat for boxing fans.

 

Boxing is healthiest when its most talented fighters are active, and blue collar fighters get rewarded for all their hard; the toil of blood and sweat-all while working a second, sometimes third job- to climb up the ranks.

 

A scenario does not exist, where at least one of these dynamics, will not happen in the next Mikey Garcia fight. Stay tuned.

 

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