RUMOR Garcia-Lopez targets Feb. 6; Hearn expects WBA to hold Catterall order

A Garcia-Lopez unification now has a target date and two possible cities, but no signed contract. The Ring reports the pair are in advanced talks for Feb. 6, with New York and Las Vegas the options. Venue, weight and title status have not been confirmed publicly.

The biggest hurdle is Lopez's WBA belt. The organisation has ordered him to defend against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall, and his team has asked the WBA to reconsider so a unification can go ahead. Catterall's promoter Eddie Hearn told IFL TV he expects the WBA to stand by its ruling. He argued that a unification does not override a mandatory order that has already been made. Refusing the Catterall fight could see Lopez stripped, or Catterall elevated to a 'super' champion. Knockout Daily noted that nothing in the reporting says whether Garcia's WBC belt would be at stake.

Coppinger sees it differently on the talks themselves. The Ring's Mike Coppinger says he would be surprised if Garcia-Lopez did not happen next, and that the WBA decision won't impact the negotiations.

Both men arrive with momentum. Garcia, 28, made the first defence of his WBC title on Sept. 12, knocking out Conor Benn in round two at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lopez, 29, won the WBA title with a majority decision over Rolly Romero at the same venue in August. Combat Sports UK reports security stopped Lopez in the arena after Garcia's win. The camps had already been in advanced talks earlier this month over a first-quarter 2027 fight, so February would bring it forward.

Garcia's schedule has another complication. On Oct. 21 he said he had agreed to fight Floyd Mayweather for the WBC title. His adviser said that bout waits until Mayweather is free of other obligations, and MMA Mania reported it would come in 2027 and is not official. Coppinger says that fight, in the unlikely event it happens, would come after Lopez.

Watch for the WBA's answer on the exception request. It will shape whether the fight is a true unification, and a venue and official announcement would follow.