By Miguel Rivera
In January 2014, Mikey Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) was considered by many to be one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the sport. His career took an unexpected turn when he sued Top Rank to break his promotional agreement.
After two years of litigation, Garcia and Top Rank reached a settlement to part ways.
Garcia didn't fight again until July of 2016, when he entered the ring at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and stopped Elio Rojas in a Showtime televised fight.
Garcia made a huge statement in January at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when he became a three division world champion with a brutal third round knockout of previously undefeated Dejan Zlaticanin to capture the WBC lightweight title.
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Garcia is looking to return in July and he wants to have a unification with WBO lightweight champion Terry Flanagan or a move to junior welterweight to challenge IBO, IBF, WBA champion Julius Indongo.
Recently, Garcia has been mentioned as an opponent for WBO/WBC junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford and WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, is really high on Garcia and hopes to have that fight take place in the fall. Pacquiao will defend his title on July 1 against Jeff Horn in Australia. Crawford will return next month in a title defense against Olympic gold medal winner Felix Diaz.
"I'm surprised to see how I've been away for so long and now there's talk of big fights not only in the present but also in the future. There are people who are mentioning me for Terence Crawford, for Manny Pacquiao - and those are fights that I want to happen. I never imagined that I would be in this position, but this is what I wanted and it makes me very happy," Garcia said to ESPN Deportes.
