Mikey Garcia was formally given 10 days to decide whether he would defend his newly acquired IBF 140lb world title or keep the WBC’s 135lb title that he already had in his possession. Rules prohibit him from holding world titles in two different weight classes and Garcia has formally informed the IBF that he will keep his 140lb strap.
In making that decision Garcia knew that meant he would have to make a mandatory title defense against Ivan Baranchyk in his next outing, and apparently is prepared to do exactly that. The IBF formally ordered Garcia to defend against Baranchyk yesterday.
Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) will now have some time to reach a purse agreement with Baranchyk otherwise the IBF will order the bout to purse bid.
Baranchyk (18-0, 11 KOs) most recently stopped Petr Petrov earlier this month and remains undefeated thus far in his professional career. And in this fight Garcia represents the most talented fighter he’ll have faced to date, by a healthy margin.