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Luke Campbell-Ryan Garcia: Deal in principle reached, purse bid cancelled

Luke Campbell (left) and Ryan Garcia are Ring-rated lightweight contenders.
Fighters Network
11
Aug

A deal has been reached in principle for lightweights Luke Campbell and Ryan Garcia to meet later this year, probably in November, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez and Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told The Ring on Tuesday.

The fight, for the WBC’s vacant interim 135-pound belt and to produce the mandatory challenger for world titleholder Devin Haney, was due to go to a purse bid via Zoom conference on Tuesday afternoon.

However, shortly before the bids were scheduled to be unsealed on the virtual conference the camps asked the WBC for an extension, which the sanctioning organization granted.

“The purse bid is off, and we’ve secured a seven-day extension from the WBC so that Golden Boy and Matchroom can finalize contracts for the Garcia-Campbell fight,” Gomez said. “We are making great progress and plan to get this done within the week.”



Gomez said they needed the additional time to get the paperwork completed but that they “have a deal in principle. All the details have been agreed to and we just have to get the contracts done and signed.”

The site of the fight is not set. It could be either in the U.S. or the U.K., both promoters said.

“Planning a November fight either in the U.K. or U.S. so we have options in terms of live crowds returning,” Hearn said, referring to the fact that there have not been crowds allowed at most boxing events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Gomez said the site of the fight will also depend on whether there are any travel restrictions in place between the two countries.

“There are different provisions depending on if the fight is in the U.S. or the U.K.,” Gomez said.

Garcia and Golden Boy have been at odds over his pay so much so that Garcia, unhappy with a $250,000 purse, elected not to fight on a July 24 DAZN date that had been set aside for him to headline.

Nonetheless, Gomez said Golden Boy and Garcia are now on the same page as it relates to the deal struck for the fight with Campbell.

“We have it in writing and he knows exactly what the deal is,” Gomez said. “We walked him through the whole deal and we are in step with each other. He has accepted everything and we have a deal. This is a good fight and he knows it’s a big opportunity.”

Victorville, California’s Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs), who turned 22 on Friday, is coming off a crushing first-round knockout of Francisco Fonseca on February 14, his second first-round knockout in a row.

Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs), 32, of England, won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and has fought for world titles twice but lost each time.

In September 2017, he traveled to Inglewood, California, and dropped a highly competitive split decision to then-titleholder Jorge Linares.

After winning his next three fights in a row, Campbell got another title opportunity in his last fight but got knocked down and lost a one-sided unanimous decision challenging Ring Magazine champion Vasiliy Lomachenko last August in London.

 

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