Report: Ryan Garcia vs Manny Pacquiao in Preliminary Talks

Ryan Garcia and Manny Pacquiao are purportedly in the early stages of setting up a Queensberry Rules bout. Mike Coppinger took to his personal social media to shine a light on the Garcia vs Pacquiao negotiations.

Sources tell @TheAthletic there are talks regarding a potential bout between Ryan Garcia and Manny Pacquiao. Preliminary discussions at this stage. Pacquiao, 42, hasn’t competed since victory over Keith Thurman in July 2019. He remains a champion at 147 pounds. Garcia at 135

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 24, 2021

Garcia’s last outing saw him overcome adversity in the form of an early knockdown by mounting a comeback via seventh-round TKO against Luke Campbell in January.

There are a lot of unclear aspects here as far as which weight class the bout would be contested in, what the date would be, where the venue is, etc.

Regardless of the many uncertainties, what is clear is that this would be one of 2021’s biggest possible fights. Should it come to fruition. It’s an incredible crossroads bout between the proven megastar Pacquiao and the burgeoning box office draw in Garcia.

It seemed as if Ryan Garcia was lining himself up for a bout with Gervonta Davis next. But he has been teasing the emergence of a bigger name fight as of late. He had not mentioned Pacquiao specifically in this context but the boxing public largely made that inference.

Garcia vs Pacquiao

Garcia is presently the interim WBC lightweight champion while Pacquiao is the WBA super world welterweight titlist. Though Pacquiao has been fighting at welterweight for over a decade, he has always had a smaller frame for the division. So facilitating a switch in weight category, be it to a catchweight or lightweight outright, isn’t some absurd notion at all.

The possibility of this fight becomes even more intriguing with the backdrop of UFC 257. With Conor McGregor getting finished by Dustin Poirier, it throws a lot of cold water on the Conor McGregor vs Manny Pacquiao bout that seemed to be in the cards for 2021.

Who do you think gets the victory in a potential Ryan Garcia vs Manny Pacquiao collision?

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

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