- Ryan Garcia says he and Floyd Mayweather have agreed to a fight for the WBC welterweight title at 147 pounds, with no date or venue announced
- The only evidence so far is an image Garcia posted that appears to show a video call; nothing from Mayweather, Golden Boy or the WBC confirms it
- My view: treat it as noise until a contract appears, because Garcia v Lopez is the proper welterweight fight and it is the one that matters
A Big Claim With Nothing Behind It Yet
Right then. Ryan Garcia has told the world that he and Floyd Mayweather have agreed to a fight for the WBC welterweight title at 147 pounds. His words were that it is real and the pair agree to a fight. Let’s not beat around the bush, if that is true it is a huge story. The problem is that nobody else is saying it.
Garcia posted an image that appears to show a video call with Mayweather shortly before the announcement. That is a picture, not a recording of what was said. At the time of writing, I have not seen a confirmation from Mayweather, Golden Boy or the WBC, and there is no date and no venue. A picture of a video call is not a signed contract.
Garcia Has Earned His Moment
Credit where it is due, because Garcia has put himself in this position. He won the WBC title earlier this year by unanimous decision over Mario Barrios, then defended it by stopping Conor Benn in round two at T-Mobile Arena on 12 September. The WBC has named him its October Boxer of the Month and lists him at 26-2 with 21 knockouts. That is a proper run, and he deserves to be talking about big fights.
Why Mayweather Makes Me Sceptical
Mayweather won the WBC welterweight title from Carlos Baldomir back in 2006. Putting him in with an active, hard-hitting champion for a real belt would be a very different thing to the exhibitions and one-off events we are used to. A sanctioning body would have to approve it, and I would want to see how the WBC reacts before getting excited.
The Fight That Is Actually Live
While this plays out, Garcia is also reported to be in advanced talks with Teofimo Lopez for early 2027, and we already covered why that is the welterweight fight I want to see. That one still has a WBA wrinkle to sort out, as we explained when the order to face Jack Catterall landed. Nothing in the Mayweather claim cancels those talks.
My Prediction
I will not sit on the fence. Make no mistake, I do not think Mayweather fights Garcia for the WBC title. If a contract appears I will happily eat my words, and if it does happen I back Garcia to stop him in the second half of the fight, because the speed of the hands is the one thing he has in abundance and the age gap is enormous. But the real welterweight fight is Garcia v Lopez in the first quarter of 2027. If you know, you know.