First Luke Campbell. Now Emmanuel Tagoe. Ryan Garcia apparently has a decision to make.
The WBO has ordered a lightweight title eliminator between Garcia and Tagoe, giving the sides 20 days to reach an agreement. That follows an order by the WBC for Garcia to begin negotiations for an “interim” title fight against Campbell, with the winner to face Devin Haney for another WBC belt.
The promoters of Garcia and Tagoe received the following letter from the WBO, which can be found on its website:
“Please be advised the parties have twenty (20) days upon receipt of this letter to negotiate and reach an agreement regarding the WBO Lightweight Elimination Contest between WBO Lightweight Participants Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe. If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a Purse Bid will be ordered pursuant with the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.
“The minimum acceptable bid for the WBO Lightweight Division is $150,000.00 (One Hundred Fifty Thousand) dollars. Any of the parties involved may request a purse bid procedure at any time during the negotiation process. The parties are hereby advised that this Committee reserves the right to issue all necessary rulings regarding sanction approval of this bout and/or determinations to maintain active the WBO Lightweight Division.”
Garcia and Tagoe are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 by the WBO, respectively. Cambell and Garcia are Nos. 2 and 3 in the WBC rankings, behind Javier Fortuna. Fortuna is planning to face Jorge Linares.
Campbell and Tagoe would both be legitimate tests for the fast-rising Garcia, who has stopped his last two opponents in the first round.
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) has better name recognition and more high-level experience than Tagoe. The southpaw from England won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics and has come up short in two title challenges, losing decisions to Jorge Linares (SD) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (UD).
Tagoe (31-1, 15 KOs) is a good boxer with an impressive record but he has fought outside his hometown of Accra only once, a ninth-round stoppage of journeyman Gerardo Robles in 2013. He’s a question mark.
The lightweight title picture is a mess even by frustrating sanctioning body standards. Lomachenko is the WBO and WBA titleholder and holds what the WBC calls its “franchise” belt. Haney fits in below Lomachenko in the WBC hierarchy. Gervonta Davis holds what the WBA calls its “regular” title.
Lomachenko is scheduled to face IBF 135-pound titleholder Teofimo Lopez in a title-unification bout on Sept. 19.