Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell is finally a done deal.
The lightweight contenders will meet on Dec. 5 on DAZN, the streaming service announced Thursday. The news release indicated that the venue and undercard fights would be announced later.
Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) is one of the hottest personalities in the sport, although he has yet to beat a big-name opponent. He has stopped his last three opponents in two, one and one rounds, including Francisco Fonseca in February. Fonseca lasted only 1:20.
“I’ve been eagerly waiting to get back in the ring and have been working harder than ever to get here,” Garcia said. “It’s been a tough year for everyone, but I’m excited to bring the fans an escape for the night … or based on my track record, a few minutes at most.
“Luke’s record speaks for itself, but I’m ready to prove the doubters wrong. This is my era now and December 5th is just the start of it.”
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) is a 2012 Olympic champion who has twice challenged for major titles, losing decisions to Jorge Linares and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
“2020 has been an extremely tough year for everyone, so I’m really pleased we can finally get this fight officially on and give the fans something to look forward to,” Campbell said. “There’s been a lot of talk and he’s clearly a very highly regarded fighter, but I’m going to prove that this is far too much, far too soon and that I’m on a completely different level.
“I’ve fought in America before, so this will be nothing new for myself and my team. Fans or no fans, the one thing I can guarantee is that I will be coming back to the U.K. with the victory.
“Training hasn’t stopped for me, and I’m going to be in peak condition to show something very special from Luke Campbell on December 5.”
The fight is for the interim WBC 135-pound title. Lomachenko is the actual WBC champion. Devin Haney holds a secondary belt.
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