Manny vs Mikey in the works
Looks like Manny Pacquiao will be settling for a boxer who goes by the Garcia surname, after all.
But it isn’t Ryan, but Mikey. Pacquiao and Garcia are reportedly set to clash in May, according to the American welterweight contender.
"It’s been in the works for a long time, particularly more in detail in the last year," Garcia, 33, told sports journalist Jo Ankier during a car ride after the Canelo Alvarez-Avni Yildirim bout last Sunday.
"Now, in the last few weeks, we’ve been getting very close to working on this and finalizing it. I’m pretty excited. We’ll have all of the details set in the next few days. It’s a matter of time. So far, it seems like all of the parties are on board. I’m excited for it, y'know."
Ankier also posted the clip on her Twitter account @Jo_Ankier on Tuesday.
Garcia, who also recently made his appearance known through several interviews, has been a long-time candidate for Pacquiao's next fight.
In early February, the older Garcia expressed desire to lock horns with the 42-year-old Pacquiao, adding that he's fit to become the "real fighter" and "real challenge" for the Filipino boxer-turned-senator.
Now that the plan seemed to be back on track, Garcia, who holds a 40-1 record with 30 knockouts, believes that it will be a "great fight" for his career and the fans.
"Now, to share the ring with a living legend like Manny does amazing things for my career. I just hope that the fans appreciate this 'cos It’s not very often that you see two of the greatest fighters face each other. Right now, that’s what we’re about to do. I’m about to face a legend," added the four-division world boxing champion.
Ryan, on the other hand, confirmed the botched development on his end through another social media post and said the match with Pacquiao "is not happening right now," an ironic approach for his part since announcing the supposed "dream fight" first on Instagram.
Pacquiao's camp has yet to make its own announcement regarding the bout but a longtime friend of the "Fighting Senator," who requested anonymity, told Bulletin-Tempo that the next fight may indeed take place in May.
Garcia last saw action in February last year, winning via unanimous decision against Pacquiao's former opponent Jessie Vargas while the Filipino eight-division world boxing champion has not fought since scoring a split decision win over Keith Thurman last July 2019.
In late January, Pacquiao, who has a 62-7-2, 39 KOs record, was stripped of his WBA super welterweight belt and was declared "champion in recess" due to inactivity.