Mikey Garcia is rethinking his career following a massive upset loss via majority decision to Sandor Martin.
The former four-division champion is eyeing a move back down to 140 after campaigning at welterweight in a 2020 win over Jessie Vargas, and a one-sided loss to Errol Spence Jr. in 2019.
In the Spence fight, Garcia, once a titleholder at 140, was coming up from 135 to face the Texan. Garcia’s fight against Martin was contracted to take place at a maximum of 145 pounds. Garcia ended up tipping the scales at 143.6 pounds for the matchup.
“I think I’ll come down to 140 pounds,” Garcia told ESNews.com. “There are better options. We’ll do a fight at 140 and see where that puts me in line. One solid victory at 140 will help me regain my respect and position. It will make everyone realize there is much more.”
Garcia has fought twice as a 140-pounder in recent years, scoring unanimous decision wins over Adrien Broner in 2017 and Sergey Lipinets in 2018 to capture the IBF super lightweight title.
In order for Garcia’s road to redemption at 140 to matter, it will have to go through a rugged path featuring contenders and former world champions like Regis Prograis, Jose Ramirez, Viktor Postol, Mario Barrios and Jose Zepeda. Undisputed champion Josh Taylor holds all four major sanctioning body belts in the division.
The 33-year-old Garcia is also not closing the door on a future rematch with Martin to exact revenge.
“Maybe we’ll see each other again in the near future,” said Garcia. “Maybe I’ll get a fight or two and it’s enough to get a rematch, or maybe he actually holds a title at 140, and maybe I can actually challenge him at that time. Maybe I’ll have a title and give him another opportunity.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com