Ryan Garcia Announces He Will Fight Javier Fortuna on July 9

WBC interim lightweight title holder Ryan Garcia announced on Instagram that he will face Javier Fortuna on July 9.

Garcia (21-0) is ranked sixth on BoxRec's lightweight rankings. Fortuna (36-2-1 with two no contests) is seventh on that list.

DAZN will carry the fight.

The 22-year-old Garcia, who has knocked out 18 of his 21 opponents, is coming off a seventh-round TKO of Luke Campbell in January to earn the interim belt.

The 31-year-old Fortuna, who has won three straight matches, last fought in November 2020 when he knocked Antonio Lozada Jr. out in the sixth round.

Golden Boy Promotions will be promoting the fight. Chairman, CEO and ex-boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Garcia, provided his take (h/t Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene):

“Little by little, Ryan Garcia is silencing all of the skeptics. And the only way to keep doing that is by continually facing tougher challenges. Javier Fortuna is an experienced southpaw who can be very slippery when he wants to avoid punches.

“It’s a dangerous fight for Ryan, but I expect him to show newer elements in his arsenal before ending matters by knockout.”

ESPN's Ben Baby had reported on April 2 that Garcia and Fortuna agreed to terms on the fight. Eleven days later, the fight was officially announced, although a location has not been revealed at this time.

Per Baby, the WBC ordered Garcia to defend the interim belt against Fortuna. Baby also noted that the fight winner "will likely be in contention" to go up against Devin Haney, the current WBC lightweight titleholder.