Talks of a possible fight between WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia and Adrien Broner has begun, according to Showtime Sports Executive VP Stephen Espinoza.
Espinoza discussed the matter to ESPN, saying Showtime is interested in holding the fight, but there are a number of different factors yet to be determined before a fight is official, saying the fight are in "preliminary discussions."
"I like the fight a lot but there's a lot more that goes into a fight getting made than a network being interested in it," Espinoza said. "I've expressed interest and from there the managers and promoters take over. So I know it's a topic of some discussion, but it's definitely not made yet and there is no venue determined. But we've got two guys who both need fights and it would be great if they can fight each other. But there are a lot of issues -- what's the money, what is the weight? That has not been determined. There's a lot to be resolved. There have been at least preliminary discussions."
Another issue in making the fight though is Broner's legal troubles. Broner has gotten in trouble with the authorities on numerous occasions and recently was sentenced to three days in jail.
"We were thinking late July for Mikey's next fight," Espinoza said. "With Adrien, we need to know how long does he need to get ready, regardless of whether he is fighting Mikey or somebody else. As it relates to a fight between Mikey and Adrien, that's the threshold question -- is there a weight they could meet at? That's has not been resolved. It's in early discussions. It may not go further than that. They may discover the weight is insurmountable."
Garcia won the lightweight title with a third-round knockout win over Dejan Zlaticanin on January 28.