Unbeaten lightweight Ryan Garcia finally has a date and an opponent for his long-awaited return to the ring.

Garcia, who is rated No. 5 by The Ring at 135 pounds, will face fringe contender Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The announcement was made by both Garcia and promoter Oscar De La Hoya on social media Friday afternoon.

“Next fight is done! April 9th on DAZN,” said Garcia (21-0, 18 knockouts). “At the Alamodome in Sa Tx.

“I wanna thank Emmanuel Tagoe for taking this fight, no one wanted to fight me bc (because) they assumed i wouldn’t fight… I respect you and let’s give everyone a fight.”

The fight against Tagoe will be Garcia’s first since he overcame an early knockdown to stop Luke Campbell on January 2 of last year in Dallas. He was then in line to face WBC lightweight titleholder Devin Haney as mandatory challenger; a designation already held by Javier Fortuna.

Confused?

Garcia was scheduled to face Fortuna on July 9 in Los Angeles, but backed out of the fight in mid-April to manage “his health and well-being.” Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz filled the void, defeated Fortuna and was then outpointed by Haney.

There was talk of Garcia facing lightweight contender Isaac Cruz, who lost by majority decision to Gervonta Davis on December 5, but preliminary talks between representatives of Garcia and Cruz came to nothing. Former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer was also mentioned as a possible opponent.

Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs), who resides in Accra, Ghana, last fought on November 27, 2020, when he defeated Mason Menard by majority decision in Hollywood, Florida. He has not lost since his pro debut in June 2004.

His fight on April 9 will mark his third outing in the U.S. He is promoted by Lou DiBella and managed by Peter Kahn.

Francisco A. Salazar can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing

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