Garcia vs. Diaz on Nov. 27 for interim WBC belt

On Nov. 27, Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) will fight Joseph Diaz (32-1-1, 15 KOs) for the WBC lightweight title in Los Angeles. The winner will be a mandatory challenger for Devin Haney who is World Boxing Council champion.

For Garcia, it will be a return to the ring after nearly a year off. The 22-year-old boxer said in April that he needed a break from training due to a poor mental state. At the same time, Garcia withdrew from his scheduled July fight against Javier Fortuna and the WBC stripped him of his interim world lightweight title.

The U.S. boxer was replaced by Diaz, who won the WBC Interim belt, in the bout with Fortuna. Garcia last fought in January, defeating Luke Campbell. After that fight, the Briton ended his professional career.