Khan, 29, chose to fight Canelo on May 7, rather than pursue a rematch with Garcia in the summer but has the option of moving back into position once the dust settles on his clash with the Mexican superstar.
Should Khan lose to Canelo in Las Vegas, it has not been made clear whether his position at 147 would then change further or if the Briton could push ahead with a second fight against old rival Garcia.
New WBC welterweight champion Garcia defeated Robert Guerrero to claim the belt earlier this year despite Khan being the number one contender at the time. Once the Canelo fight came to light, it was then apparent why Khan initially passed on fighting Garcia – who had defeated him previously via knockout back in 2012.
Garcia put Khan down three times en route to a surprise fourth round stoppage and remains undefeated through his 32 contests so far. ‘Swift’ is now free to follow-up a first defense of his 147 pound belt whilst Canelo and Khan battle it out for the middleweight belt at a catchweight of 155.
Lamont Peterson, who was put forward with Andre Berto for a number two spot eliminator, faces a wait following the latter’s decision to remove himself from negotiations. Peterson was also beaten by Garcia in April last year.
Sammy Vasquez, Miguel Barrionuevo and Ray Robinson all continue to be in the WBC’s thoughts as part of the ongoing tournament set out following the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
