Ryan Garcia is hoping to return to the ring in a stay-busy fight before facing Teofimo Lopez in May.
'King Ry' blew away Conor Benn inside two rounds on Saturday night in Las Vegas to retain his WBC welterweight crown.
Garcia then called for a unification clash with WBA champion Lopez, which is currently eyed for Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Before that fight takes place, though, Garcia is intent upon getting back into the ring within the next four months.
The 28-year-old has one fight left on his deal with long-time promoter Golden Boy.
After which, Garcia revealed he is contractually obligated to box on a Turki Alalshikh/Ring Magazine card.
As Ring are the frontrunners to host Garcia vs Lopez, his next fight appears to be a perfect opportunity to run down his contract with Golden Boy, while getting some valuable rounds in before the big one.
When is Ryan Garcia planning to return to the ring and against who?
"I either want to get in the ring in December or January," said Garcia during a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to fight before [May]."
Asked about potential opponents for his quick turnaround, Garcia replied: "There's a lot of people out there.
"You have got Pitbull Cruz; I wouldn't mind fighting him.
"You have Angel Fierro, who I sparred with for the Benn fight; I wouldn't mind fighting him too.
"I won't call it a tune-up, but I don't want to get off guard and wait till May to fight.
"Why do I have to wait until May? I have no bruises; I have no hits to the head.
"Why can't I fight? I'm going to give the fans a little treat."
Garcia thrives against pressure fighters who push the pace, and Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz and Angel Fierro possess those exact qualities.
Both men are natural super lightweights as well, giving Garcia a size advantage.
The pair also have uncomplicated timelines that clear the way for a late 2026 or early 2027 date.
Cruz is set to defend his WBC interim super lightweight belt on Saturday night against Nestor Bravo, while Fierro is currently without a fight.
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