Ryan Garcia’s father, Henry Garcia, seemed to imply that his son and Manny Pacquiao are likely to take part in an exhibition, not a sanctioned bout.
The camps reportedly are in serious talks for some sort of fight, possibly this spring.
The elder Garcia was speaking with MyBettingSites.co.uk about the possibility of going the exhibition route when he said, “That’s the direction we’re heading down because no one wants to lose status, but they do both want to fight each other, and that’s the key.
“It’s not bizarre. It’s just two people who want to fight each other. Ryan’s fighting a legend, and Pacquiao’s fighting a rising star, so it’s not awkward at all. What I do know is both fighters want to fight each other, and it’s going to be for real, it’s going to be a real fight.
“Ryan always admired Pacquiao and always wanted to fight a legend before his time was up. He wanted to fight someone of Pacquiao’s caliber, so there’s a chance it could happen.”
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Henry Garcia likes his son’s chances against Pacquiao in whatever form the fight might take place.
Pacquiao, 42, won a 147-pound title when he outpointed Keith Thurman in July 2019. Garcia, 22, is a 135-pound contender. Henry Garcia said he wants a 143-pound catchweight.
“I believe Ryan is ready for Manny Pacquiao because when Ryan puts his mind to something he’s not going to back down, he’s got all of the confidence in the world,” Henry Garcia said. “When you have that confidence and motivation and drive, you can focus on what’s in front of you and you’re most likely going to become victorious.
“Ryan likes to take control and we understood that when Thurman put pressure on Manny, he had a hard time fighting backwards. When you reach a certain age you’re no longer as strong as a 20-year-old. We stand a very good chance.
“He’s 20 years younger than Pacquiao and we feel that’s to our advantage and that’s one of the reasons why I feel it’s a changing of the guard fight. It’s our time.”
He went on: “I’d love that fight to happen in April or May. This one is possibly going to be in Texas, we’re not sure yet. We don’t know exact details yet [on whether the fight will be an exhibition], but we’re looking at a good 10-rounder.”