By Miguel Rivera
According to World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman, everything is still moving forward for a planned purse bid, on Friday in Mexico City, for the welterweight showdown between Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter.
The two boxers were ordered to face each other for the vacant welterweight championship of the World Boxing Council. Both boxers are advised by Al Haymon.
Garcia and Porter, who are both former world champion, were in line to get mandatory shots at the WBC belt - but then world champion Keith Thurman vacated the title due to lingering injuries.
Thurman, who still holds the WBA welterweight title, has been inactive since last March - when he won a twelve round split decision over Garcia in their unification bout
After that fight, Thurman underwent elbow surgery and took off for the rest of the year.
Thurman was scheduled to make a voluntary defense in a Showtime televised bout on May 19 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York - but then withdrew with a hand injury.
Initially, the WBC had planned to ordered Garcia and Porter to face each other for the interim-world title at 147 - but those plans were scrapped after Thurman vacated.
Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) became the secondary mandatory back in February, after knocking out Brandon Rios in a final eliminator.
And Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) became the mandatory challenger last year, after stopped former champion Andre Berto.
Following Garcia's win, Porter entered the ring and the two boxers began to exchange heated words before a televised audience on Showtime.
Thurman was feeling a lot of pressure, because the WBC ordered him to make back to back mandatory defenses against Garcia and Porter.
Rather than face the prospect of two very tough fights upon returning, he dropped the title - although he was given 'champion in recess' status - so he can request a direct shot in the future.