By Miguel Rivera
We could be getting one step close to a unification showdown in the lightweight division.
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez and lightweight world champion Mikey Garcia will meet in person on Wednesday in an effort to make a unification fight between Garcia and Jorge Linares early next year.
"I want to make the fight, it's a fight that Linares wants and it's a fight Mikey would like too, so let's talk about that, we're ready to do it, it's a great fight and one that I think many fans would like see," said Gomez to ESPN Deportes.
Gomez and Garcia, who is without promoter, were previously involved in negotiations when Garcia called out Miguel Cotto, the junior middleweight world champion promoted by Golden Boy and who was looking for an opponent for December 2.
Garcia said he was willing to put on weight for the fight, but even though Golden Boy made a serious offer, Garcia eventually backed down because he did not want to sign a multiple fight deal with Golden Boy to get Cotto. That deal would also have included a fight with Linares, who is promoted by Golden Boy.
Cotto ended up signing to defend his title against Saddam Ali and Garcia was left without a date to fight for the rest of the year, having won a world title in his third division, when he knocked out Dejan Zlaticanin for the lightweight title in January, followed by a unanimous decision victory against Adrien Broner at junior welterweight in July.
Linares (43-3, 27 KO's), 32, who also won world titles in three divisions, retained his 135-pound split decision against British mandatory challenger Luke Campbell on September 23, and said after the fight that he also wanted a unificationt.
Gómez directed a recent social media message to García (37-0, 30 KOs), to show that the company has changed its mind. Gomez said that Golden Boy would no longer require Garcia to sign with his company to fight with one of their top boxers, even though he would like to promote Garcia, one of the best fighters in the world.
"Mikey Garcia, if you're serious about wanting to fight Jorge Linares, call me, without options, without extra fights, in short, without excuses," Gomez wrote.