Tag: Manny Pacquiao next fight

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia? Intriguing matchup gaining traction

An intriguing potential matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Ryan Garcia is gaining momentum,

Ryan Garcia evidently believes he’s going to fight Manny Pacquiao.

The lightweight contender, a rising star, seems to say on Instagram that a deal to face the 42-year-old Filipino icon is in place. However, no official word – from Pacquiao or anyone else – has emerged.

The Athletic has reported that representatives of Garcia and Pacquiao are in “preliminary discussions.”

Garcia wrote on IG: “A dream turned reality. It’s an honor to share the Ring with @mannypacquiao I will always respect what you did in and out the ring. Here’s to the Best Man Winning.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKckF3JhFPY/?utm_source=ig_embed

The concept of a Pacquiao-Garcia fight is a bit of a head-scratcher because they fight in different weight classes.

Garcia competes at 135 pounds. Pacquiao has fought at 147 for more than a decade, although he’s a small welterweight. They could agree to a catchweight.

The fight makes sense from a business standpoint. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) has a massive social media following, which means he could probably generate a lot of pay-per-view buys. And he’s coming off his biggest victory, a seventh-round knockout of former Olympic champion Luke Campbell on Jan. 2.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) last fought in July 2019, when he upset Keith Thurman by decision to win a major welterweight title. Since then, he has been focused on his work as a senator in the Philippines.

The eight-division titleholder has teased a possible fight with MMA star Conor McGregor, who was stopped by Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Garcia has been pushing for a fight with Gervonta Davis. He presumably would set that matchup aside for a crack at Pacquiao because of the money at stake.

[lawrence-related id=17153,17137,17105,17057,17127,16940,16907]

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia? Intriguing matchup gaining traction

An intriguing potential matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Ryan Garcia is gaining momentum,

Ryan Garcia evidently believes he’s going to fight Manny Pacquiao.

The lightweight contender, a rising star, seems to say on Instagram that a deal to face the 42-year-old Filipino icon is in place. However, no official word – from Pacquiao or anyone else – has emerged.

The Athletic has reported that representatives of Garcia and Pacquiao are in “preliminary discussions.”

Garcia wrote on IG: “A dream turned reality. It’s an honor to share the Ring with @mannypacquiao I will always respect what you did in and out the ring. Here’s to the Best Man Winning.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKckF3JhFPY/?utm_source=ig_embed

The concept of a Pacquiao-Garcia fight is a bit of a head-scratcher because they fight in different weight classes.

Garcia competes at 135 pounds. Pacquiao has fought at 147 for more than a decade, although he’s a small welterweight. They could agree to a catchweight.

The fight makes sense from a business standpoint. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) has a massive social media following, which means he could probably generate a lot of pay-per-view buys. And he’s coming off his biggest victory, a seventh-round knockout of former Olympic champion Luke Campbell on Jan. 2.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) last fought in July 2019, when he upset Keith Thurman by decision to win a major welterweight title. Since then, he has been focused on his work as a senator in the Philippines.

The eight-division titleholder has teased a possible fight with MMA star Conor McGregor, who was stopped by Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Garcia has been pushing for a fight with Gervonta Davis. He presumably would set that matchup aside for a crack at Pacquiao because of the money at stake.

[lawrence-related id=17153,17137,17105,17057,17127,16940,16907]

Mikey Garcia still has eye on fight with Manny Pacquiao

Mikey Garcia is aiming to be one of Manny Pacquiao’s final opponents before the eight-weight world titleholder retires.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.

***

Mikey Garcia is aiming to be one of Manny Pacquiao’s final opponents before the eight-weight world titleholder retires, according to  promoter Eddie Hearn.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, recently said that the 41-year-old wouldn’t be back in the ring this year and he’d likely compete “once or twice” in 2021 before running for president in his native Philippines in 2022.

Hearn recently told DAZN that Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs) could easily slot into the timetable set out by Pacquiao and Roach.

“Mikey Garcia is one of the fortunate ones that has boxed this year, so he’s not busting my phone up too much at the moment,” said Hearn. “But he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao.”

Garcia, 32, beat Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29 in Texas, meaning early 2021 could work for both him and Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs).

It is a showdown Hearn was looking at for a Saudi Arabia show this summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way.

The Matchroom Boxing chief admitted interest from somewhere like Saudi Arabia could be what determines whether Garcia-Pacquiao happens or not.

“It’s very difficult to make those sort of fights at the moment unless we get a big site fee from another country,” he said. “Mikey is basically that guy who wants the monstrous fights, and he’ll be looking to make that happen.”

Many of Hearn’s top fighters have been out of the ring even longer than Garcia, so they might be a higher priority for the promoter.

“For all of these top names, it’s just a case of getting them out just once this year,” he said. “Letting them get out there, letting them progress their career, letting them get paid, keeping their profile bubbling.

“And that’s the tough job for us now, coming through Fight Camp, trying to schedule all these major names and world champions without crowds. It’s going to be a tough task over the next couple of months.”

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