BY JAKE DONOVAN
May 25, 2023 Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
TGB Promotions secured the rights to the Hector Luis Garcia-Lamont Roach WBA junior lightweight title fight.
The primary promoter for all Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) submitted $410,000 for the mandatory title fight during a purse bid hearing held Thursday at Four Seasons Hotel in Houston, Texas. The amount outpaced that of NoXcuse Boxing, headed by Lamont Roach Sr. who offered $351,000 as the lone other bidder.
Accompanied with the purse bid was a ten-percent deposit ($41,000), along with proposed fight dates of July 22 and August 19, both in Las Vegas and presumably to headline a PBC on Showtime event. Garcia is due $307,500—75-percent—from the bid as the defending WBA titlist. The remaining 25-percent—$102,500—will go to Roach as the mandatory challenger.
NoXcuse sought to stage the event either on July 22, August 5 or August 12 in its Washington D.C. home region had its family-run company won Thursday’s purse bid hearing.
Garcia-Roach was formally ordered on March 20, and came with a 30-day deadline to reach a deal. Representatives for both parties initially agreed to an extension, of the belief that a deal would be reached. Both sides and the WBA previously communicated to Boxing Scene that an agreement was in place as of April 27 and that the matter would not head to a purse bid. None of the involved parties would confirm whether that meant a Garcia-Roach fight was on the horizon or if it meant that Garcia would be permitted to enter a voluntary title defense.
Prior to the WBA-ordered mandatory title fight, PBC sought to have Garcia (16-1, 10KOs; 3NC) defend versus former WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr. The absence of a signed agreement in place prompted the WBA to instead call for Garcia to enter talks with Roach, who has been mandatory since last summer.
Garcia claimed the WBA 130-pound belt in a 12-round decision victory over Roger Gutierrez last August 20 in Hollywood, Florida. The win came with the understanding that he would be granted a voluntary fight if he honored his mandatory obligation within the nine-month period to make such a title defense. The 31-year-old Dominican southpaw used that opportunity to challenge for Gervonta Davis’ WBA ‘Regular’ lightweight title. Their January 7 Showtime Pay-Per-View headliner resulted in Garcia’s first and lone career defeat, when Davis’ late power surge momentarily left Garcia with compromised vision after eight rounds of action in front of a sold-out Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Roach (23-1-1, 9KOs) became the mandatory challenger after a twelve-round win over Angel Rodriguez in their WBA final eliminator last July 16 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Judges Raul Caiz Sr. (116-112), Pat Russell (116-112) and Zachary Young (117-111) in favor of Roach, a 27-year-old contender from the greater D.C. area who has won four in a row since a points loss to Jamel Herring in their November 2019 WBO junior lightweight title fight. The fight was the last for Roach under Golden Boy Promotions, who allowed his contract to expire and did not resign the streaking contender.
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