By Keith Idec

The Errol Spence Jr.-Mikey Garcia fight will be announced Tuesday as part of the FOX-Premier Boxing Champions press conference in Los Angeles.

Spence-Garcia was targeted as a pay-per-view event since it gained traction this summer as a realistic possibility. Showtime was expected to distribute it, but FOX has acquired those rights as part of its new deal with Al Haymon’s PBC.

Showtime has televised each of Spence’s past three bouts.

Haymon has assured FOX executives that the best boxers he represents will fight on FOX or FOX Pay-Per-View in some instances, but PBC also has extended its partnership with Showtime for three years. Thus Spence, Garcia and other PBC boxers are likely to fight on FOX and Showtime throughout the duration of those deals.

Spence-Garcia is expected to take place March 16 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The 28-year-old Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) is heavily favored to defeat Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs) due to a significant size advantage the powerful southpaw owns. Garcia will move up two weight classes – from lightweight to welterweight – to challenge Spence for his IBF 147-pound championship in a bout between two of the best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport.

Their fight also will test Spence and Garcia as pay-per-view draws. Neither fighter has headlined a pay-per-view show, but their showdown will receive a huge promotional push from FOX, a broadcast network that reaches approximately 120 million homes in the United States.

The 30-year-old Garcia, of Oxnard, California, beat Robert Easter Jr. (21-1, 14 KOs) in his last fight – a 12-round, 135-pound title unification fight July 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Spence, of DeSoto, Texas, stopped Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo (23-1, 14 KOs) in the first round of his last bout, a mandatory title defense June 16 at Ford Center at The Star, the Cowboys’ training facility in Frisco, Texas.

Garcia began discussing challenging Spence before he faced Easter. The four-division champion made clear right after winning that fight that he wanted to face Spence next.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.