By Miguel Rivera
Former three division world champion Mikey Garcia was hoping to fight for a third time in 2017, but that's not going to happen.
The television schedule has already become very packed until the remainder of the year. Garcia's next fight is being targeted for January 27, according to a team source who spoke with ESPN Deportes.
For now, Garcia has decreased his intensity with respect to training, as it's become apparent that he won't fight until 2018.
Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) started the year off strong in January, by winning the World Boxing Council lightweight title to become a three division champion with a brutal third round knockout of Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In July, Garcia moved up to the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds and dominated former four division world champion Adrien Broner over twelve rounds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Looking ahead, the former featherweight and super featherweight champion and current 135-pound champion under the WBC, will have to make a decision regarding his weight class.
Garcia was in brief talks with Golden Boy Promotions to fight WBO junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in December. Garcia rejected their proposal, because he refused to bind himself to a multi-fight promotional contract with Golden Boy.
He would be willing to go back to 135 for a unification with WBA champion Jorge Linares, but that fight may or may not happen since Linares is also with Golden Boy and may look for options.
The WBC, at their recent convention, ordered Garcia and Linares to fight each other, but never set a deadline for talks. Linares has the WBC's "Diamond" title, which makes him Garcia's mandatory challenger.
Linares was in action last month, when he won a twelve round split decision over Olympic gold medal winner Luke Campbell.