Garcia craves for Pacman
Mexican-American banger Mikey Garcia believes he is on equal footing with Manny Pacquiao, a collision course that the Filipino legend’s trainer Freddie Roach swears has the trappings of a classic.
“Well look, being Mikey’s brother and trainer, you know, with my dad, with my son, we all agree that that’s the only fight that we would really want Mikey to do at welterweight,” Robert Garcia said in an interview with DAZN.
“You know, he wants to have another welterweight fight and he wants to get a title. And I think Manny is the biggest fight out there for Mikey, but it’s also the one that matches better for Mikey because Pacquiao is not as big as all the other welterweights. Pacquiao was a flyweight (112 lbs) at one time,” pointed out Garcia.
Pacquiao, who turns 42 in December, actually started out as a mini-flyweight (105 lbs) back in
January 1995.
After winning his first of seven world titles in 1998—the World Boxing Council fly belt—Pacquiao would go on to add world crowns at super-bantam (122), feather (126), super-feather (130), lightweight (135), junior-welter (140), welter (147) and super-welter (154).
“You know, even though his body has developed into a solid welterweight, but he’s not as big, he’s not as tall. You know, very dangerous, very fast, very strong, but that’s probably the only fight that we’re OK with at welterweight. Even though I still think it’s a very dangerous fight, I think that’s the only one that we could probably agree to with my father and everybody around our team. That’s the only one that we would want for Mikey at welterweight.”
Garcia (40-1 with 30 KOs) is coming off an impressive win over Jessie Vargas in Texas. Before beating Vargas, who had also lost to Pacquiao (62-7-2 with 39 KOs) in 2016, Garcia dropped a lopsided decision to Errol
Spence in March last year.
Pacquiao hasn’t fought since turning back the hands of time by outpointing 30-year-old and erstwhile undefeated Keith Thurman in July last year in Las Vegas.
Eddie Hearn of DAZN is eyeing to bring the Pacquiao-Garcia slugfest to Saudi Arabia, where he staged the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz late last year.
In the same Q&A, Roach was asked about a possible Pacquiao-Garcia brawl.
“I love the fight. It’s a very good fight,” said the Hall of Fame cornerman.
Although he has been observing strict quarantine procedures, Pacquiao has been regularly working out in his palatial residence at Dasmariñas Village.