“Forget the catch weight… Let’s do it for real I want to take your belt and rip it right off you,” Garcia posted earlier in the day, tagging Stevenson. A few hours later, he removed the last excuse.
“To those concerned about the 140 pound weight… it was my plan to be able to win at 140 as well. As long as there is no rehydration clause, things will go forward… I’m coming for you.”
Stevenson replied shortly after, “You speak my language,” while reiterating his stance that any fight at 140 would take place with full VADA testing.
The timing matters. Garcia posted the weight commitment at 19:23 GMT (14:23 EST), marking a clear escalation of social media noise towards a defined proposal. Until Wednesday, the fight revolved around catchweight scenarios. By noon that door was locked. The question now shifts to leverage.
Garcia is the bigger commercial draw. Stevenson holds the belt. On paper, the popular fighter rarely volunteers to step into the champion’s weight class without conditions. Garcia seems willing to do just that, provided there is no rehydration clause.
There are still hurdles: test provisions, promotion alignment, purse splits and sanction approval. None of that is settled. But for the first time, the weight issue, usually the first excuse, was publicly removed.
If this fight doesn’t materialize from here, it won’t be because of 140. And that puts the pressure squarely on both of them.
