Mikey Garcia got a taste of fighting at 140 pounds and now he wants to win a world title at that weight.
Showtime has announced a big February 10 card at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, headlined by Garcia's attempt to become a four-weight world champion. Garcia, the WBC lightweight champion, will challenge for Sergey Lipinets' IBF junior welterweight title.
If Garcia defeats Lipinets and wins the IBF title, he becomes the 17th man in boxing history to win a world title in four different weight classes. Garcia could also join an even more exclusive club, becoming the third fighter in modern history to become world champion at 126, 130, 135 and 140 pounds, joining Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao.
Lipinets will be making his first world title defense. Lipinets won the title in his 13th por fight when he defeated Akihiro Kondo via unanimous decision. There had been reports indicating that Lipinets could fight former world champion Adrien Broner as his first title defense.
Garcia won the WBC lightweight title in January against Dejan Zlaticanin, but never defended the title. Garcia moved up in weight to fight Broner earlier this summer. Garcia defeated Broner in a lopsided decision at the Barclays Center on Showtime.
Showtime has also announced that the co-main event for the February 10 card will be a fight between Rances Barthelemy and Kiryl Relikh. That fight, a rematch from their first bout back in May when Barthelemy defeated Relikh via unanimous decision, will be for the vacant WBA junior welterweight title that Terence Crawford left behind in his move up to welterweight.
