A few weeks ago chatter of a potential fight between future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2) and WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (21-0) began on various social media outlets.
The potential showdown was first discussed as an exhibition bout but that talk was squashed when Manny Pacquiao Promotions’ president Sean Gibbons revealed that if the fight were to come to fruition it would definitely be a real fight.
A potential date hasn’t been mentioned for the fight but Gibbons said that negotiations are still taking place.
“They are ongoing and hopefully things will workout,” Gibbons told BoxingScene.com.
Pacquiao, who is a senator in the Philippines, last fought in July 2019 when he outpointed Keith Thurman at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. With the victory he captured the WBA welterweight title.
Because of his inactivity, which can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WBA recently named Pacquiao as their ‘champion in recess’ and elevated Yordenis Ugas.
Most fans and pundits believe that the 22-year-old Garcia is still too raw for a fighter of the caliber of Pacquiao.
Gibbons understands why Pacquiao would be a sizable favorite in the fight but won’t rule out Garcia having a shot at pulling off the upset.
“The kid has youth on his side and can punch. His defense is suspect but the senator is 42-years-old and has been out of the ring for 1 year and 10 months so anything can happen,” said Gibbons.
Garcia was last in the ring on January 2nd when he recovered from a second round knockdown against Luke Campbell to stop him in the 7th round. With the victory he captured the WBC interim lightweight title.
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter