Spence, Garcia “closing in on a deal” for February PPV

Mikey Garcia’s quest to face Errol Spence Jr. may not be the fool’s errand we thought it was. The Ring claims that the two are in advanced negotiations for a February Showtime pay-per-view event, possibly in Texas. The fight would take place at 147 pounds, where Spence holds the IBF title.

Garcia (39-0, 30 KO) is a pound-for-pound talent, a sublime mix of technical acumen, killer instinct, and ferocious punching power, but this is inadvisable to say the least. Spence (24-0, 21 KO) is riding an 11-fight knockout streak, including a battering of the hulking Kell Brook, and looks every bit as preternaturally gifted. Hell, Sergey Lipinets found success against Garcia through power, grit, and pressure, and Spence is a fair bit larger and more destructive than the Russian.

It’s extra bizarre because another incomparable talent, Vasyl Lomachenko, is right there in Garcia’s ideal weight class, while Spence has the same thing going on with Terence Crawford. Rather than the blatantly obvious Lomachenko-Garcia and Spence-Crawford fights, though, it looks like we’re getting this instead. Don’t get me wrong, two truly skilled fighters duking it out is always welcome, but the last time something like this happened, it wasn’t pretty.