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Luke Campbell must wait for mandatory WBC title shot and will take warm-up fight next month

"Luke's going to be keeping active, and they'll be an announcement on his date very soon."

Luke Campbell
Image: Luke Campbell has secured a mandatory WBC lightweight title fight

Luke Campbell must await a decision from Mikey Garcia on a mandatory WBC title fight and will take a warm-up fight in February.

The 31-year-old lightweight defeated Yvan Mendy on points in a WBC final eliminator at Wembley in September, but current WBC champion Garcia will step up to 147lbs to challenge Errol Spence Jr for the IBF welterweight title on March 16.

Promoter Eddie Hearn is unsure whether the Californian will then move back down to 135lbs and Campbell is pressing ahead with his own plans, returning next month to prepare for his second shot at world title.

Mikey Garcia
Image: Mikey Garcia must decide whether to defend WBC lightweight belt

"Well, that's frustrating, because the WBC really should let him fight for the world title," Hearn told Sky Sports.

"Mikey Garcia is the belt holder, he's moving up to welterweight to fight Errol Spence, so Luke's holding in, he's going to have a fight at the end of February, and then he'll be ordered by the WBC to fight Mikey Garcia.

"Whether Garcia takes that fight or not, we'll see, but Luke's going to be keeping active, and they'll be an announcement on his date very soon."

Luke Campbell
Image: Luke Campbell sealed a points win over Yvan Mendy in September

Campbell came agonisingly close to winning the WBA title, recovering from an early knockdown to push Jorge Linares all the way in a narrow points loss in 2017.

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Garcia unified the WBC and IBF lightweight belts with a unanimous decision win over Robert Easter Jr last July, but has since vacated the IBF title, which will be contested by Richard Commey and Isa Chaniev on February 2.

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