A welterweight fight between Mikey Garcia and Jessie Vargas for the first quarter of next year has been discussed, according to The Athletic. The fight would be streamed on DAZN.
Promoter Eddie Hearn, who works with DAZN, has been courting Garcia for some time in hopes of signing him to a multi-fight deal, The Athletic reported. If he’s successful, a meeting with Vargas could kick off the relationship.
Two takeaways from that report:
One, Garcia told me a few years ago that he had no interest in signing a long-term deal with anyone after his relationship with then-promoter Bob Arum soured. Garcia sat out 2½ years waiting for his contract with Arum to end and become a free agent.
Of course, things change. The guaranteed money might be too tempting to resist now for whatever reason. We’ll see.
Two, Garcia has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao. I’m guessing that Pacquiao has decided to keep it in the PBC family and fight the other Garcia, Danny, a legitimate 147-pounder who might be seen as a more legitimate threat than Mikey. Mikey Garcia is coming off a one-sided loss to Errol Spence.
Again, we’ll see.
Floyd Mayweather is a wildcard. If he’s serious about a comeback, a rematch with Pacquiao would be a bonanza for both fighters. Pacquiao certainly would jump at the opportunity.
Would Mayweather, 42, really risk his perfect record? Doubtful. Exhibitions or another “fight” against an MMA star, maybe; a sanctioned boxing match, no.
That said, “Money” loves money. Anything is possible.