Mikey Garcia's return to Los Angeles was a resounding success on all fronts and promoter Richard Schaefer is already thinking of Garcia's return to Los Angeles.
On July 28, Garcia headlined a boxing card at the Staples Center, his first fight in Los Angeles in seven years, resulting in Garcia winning a wide unanimous decision over Robert Easter Jr. The Staples Center, packed with 12,560 fans attending the event, was filled with fans of the pound-for-pound star chanting "Mikey! Mikey! Mikey!" throughout the entire fight.
For Garcia, it was a special environment that he had been missing ever since he made his return to the ring after being inactive for two years. For Schaefer, it was a clear sign that Garcia and Los Angeles was a perfect and is looking to continue that relationship.
Schaefer recently spoke to Fightful on the current unified WBC and IBF lightweight champion and said it was exciting to see Garcia in Los Angeles.
“I think it’s great for Mikey to come back. I think it’s long overdue and as they say, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a night.’ For Mikey to come back, I think it’s important to have continuity and to have Mikey fight once or twice a year in Los Angeles and not just show up each every three, four, five years. So I think continuity is very important and I’m happy for Mikey," Schaefer said. To be able to headline the Staples Center of all buildings, it’s the busiest building in the United States. It’s the premier venue for music and big time sporting events. I think it shows where Mikey is at this particular point in his career and in this sport. Very few fighters have been able to headline at the Staples Center and for Mikey to put his name on that list, I think it’s a tribute to Mikey and it’s a tribute to us fight fans here in Los Angeles that we have somebody who can compete at the highest level. Los Angeles has again, pound-for-pound, the best fighter in the world [in Mikey Garcia]."
After Garcia defeated Easter, Garcia immediately turned to looking for a fight against IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. for later this year. Though no venue has been explored and perhaps regardless of the result, Schaefer is looking to have Garcia fight at the Staples Center in 2019.
“As a matter of fact, we’re having conversations with the Staples Center for some dates next year because I think it’s important to have him fight here on a regular basis,” Schaefer said.
Although it was initially mentioned that Las Vegas would be the place to go for a Spence vs. Garcia fight pay-per-view, but also said Los Angeles and Dallas could also end up being the host city for the dream fight.
