Twenty-year-old ambitious middleweight prospect Elijah Garcia’s future is looking brighter than the desert sun he trains under at the F1 Gym in Buckeye, Arizona. 

Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs) will be fighting for the third time this year as he quickly continues building his budding portfolio for the prospect of the year when he faces Jose Armando Resendiz (14-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round bout on Sept. 30.

In the process, Garcia will be opening his second straight PPV card, this time for Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In April, Garcia took advantage of his showcase opportunity on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card and scored a unanimous decision against Kevin Salgado Zambrano. 

“This has been the best year of my career. I had a big upset early in the year and then got a hard 10-round victory. Now I’m in back-to-back pay-per-view events. It’s like a snap of the finger and I’m blowing up. I’m just training hard and preparing for a tough fight,” Garcia said during a Los Angeles press conference. 

“I’m honored to be on a card with so many other great fighters. I’m preparing to be a world champion and these tough fights are what will get me ready for that.

“I’m blessed to be on this card. I know that on September 30 I’m gonna have the toughest fight of my career so far. Reséndiz comes strong, in shape, and ready to fight.”

The 24-year-old Resendiz is looking to build on his own breakout performance amidst a 10th-round stoppage win in March against former unified super welterweight champion Jarrett Hurd. 

During that same “Showtime Championship Boxing” telecast, Garcia demolished Amilcar Vidal Jr. inside four rounds via knockout. Garcia’s father and trainer George accurately predicted immediately after the event that they’d one day face Resendiz, and now, here they are just five months later. 

“Armando is coming off a huge win and he’s young and strong. I don’t see why this fight wouldn’t be a step up for me. I’m ready for it,” said Garcia.

The 6-foot-tall southpaw Garcia has only been a pro since February 2020 and fought a total of 46 rounds thus far. Garcia has been matched tough, however, as his last six opponents, including Resendiz, have brought a combined record of 67-7-2 into the ring. 

BoxingScene.com's “prospect of the year” award winners so far this decade have been Edgar Berlanga in 2020, Jared Anderson in 2021, and Keyshawn Davis in 2022.

Garcia could be in the mix for 2023 honors against stiff competition featuring a group headlined by the likes of Xander Zayas, Diego Pacheco, and Raymond Ford, among others. 

But Garcia doesn’t have plans of being a prospect too long. 

Already ranked in the top 10 by the WBC, WBA, and IBF, Garcia is looking to pounce on the rather weak 160-pound division and make a title run in 2024.

“I want to be a world champion at 21 years old. Fighting tough opponents like Armando will get me ready for when that opportunity comes. I know how hard it’s gonna be, but that’s the way I have to go,” said Garcia. 

“I’m just staying humble and keeping my faith strong. I don’t want to look ahead and take too big of a leap. I’m following the direction that my team is telling me to go.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.