Ryan Garcia, Isaac Cruz Ordered by WBC to Have Lightweight Title Eliminator Fight

The WBC sent a letter to Ryan Garcia and Isaac Cruz, ordering them to fight a lightweight title eliminator bout.

Mike Coppinger of ESPN reported a deal must be struck by June 14 or the fight will go into the purse bid process. 

A purse bid calls on promoters to bid on the right to stage a fight, with the highest bid winning and deciding the purse split between the two boxers.

The winner of the fight would get the next fight against current WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, who is set to fight Geroge Kambosos on June 4.

Garcia and Cruz have been at odds for months, trading public barbs as they flirted with the idea of going one-on-one. 

"They said I needed to win this fight, I won this fight. Now Oscar De La Hoya, Ryan Garcia, come on down and negotiate with us," Cruz said via interpreter after defeating Yuriorkis Gamboa last month. “Let's make this fight happen. But not on social media. Let's negotiate. Let's not dance, let's fight."

Cruz is 23-2-1 over the course of his career, with his most recent loss coming to Gervonta Davis last December.

Garcia is undefeated in his 22 professional bouts and recently returned to defeat Emmanuel Tagoe by unanimous decision in April. The 23-year-old had taken 15 months out of the ring for a mental health break before returning.