By Ryan Burton

Former world champion Brandon Rios is fully backing Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) to defeat Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) - if the two boxers ever step in the ring in the upcoming new year.

But one week before that, Garcia will go for his fourth world title when he challenges IBF junior welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Despite moving up to 140-pounds, Garcia has elected to retain his WBC lightweight championship - as he plans to move back down for lucrative opportunities.

And Lomachenko, who currently holds the WBO super featherweight title, is planning to move up to 135-pounds in the new year.

Rios has been trained for much of his career by Mikey's older brother, Robert Garcia, and is very close to the entire Garcia family. 

At one time Rios, Garcia were promotional stablemates with Lomachenko under Top Rank. Rios and Garcia have since parted ways with Top Rank and are currently promotional free agents - although they both work very closely with promoter Richard Schaefer of Ringstar Sports and powerful boxing adviser Al Haymon.

Rios believes it would be a close fight but in the end he backs his friend to defeat Lomachenko - who is rated as the number one fighter in the world by some experts.

"Now that is a fight I want to see. That fight would be a chess match. We thought Lomachenko and Rigondeaux was going to be a chess match - but Lomachenko and [Garcia] would be a chess match because they are the same size and I think Mikey has more pop than he does.  Mikey is very skillful and very smart," Rios stated to BoxingScene.com and others.

"In my heart I go with Mikey, my brother from another mother and the Garcia family. I love them. I think Mikey stops him or wins a decision."

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