Ryan Garcia appears to have his next opponent.
Multiple outlets are reporting that the 22-year-old lightweight contender and Javier Fortuna have agreed to fight this summer, although the deal doesn’t appear to be official. The date and location have not been determined.
The winner would be first in line to face Devin Haney, who holds the WBC’s secondary title. Teofimo Lopez is the sanctioning body’s champion.
Garcia (20-0, 18 KOs) is coming off an impressive seventh-round knockout of Luke Campbell in January, in which the Los Angeles-area fighter got up from a knockdown to stop the Englishman with a body blow.
The social media star reportedly had been in talks to face Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition or sanctioned bout but that fight never materialized. The same for a matchup with 135-pound rival Gervonta Davis.
Instead, he will face the capable, but more obscure Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs). The 31-year-old Dominican is 3-0 since losing a split decision to Robert Easter Jr. in his only major title fight.
Fortuna is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Antonio Lozada Torres this past November.
The WBC last month ordered Garcia to defend his belt against Fortuna, the No. 2 contender behind Vasiliy Lomachenko. The fight would’ve gone to a purse bid in two weeks without the agreement.
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