By Chris Williams: With Manny Pacquiao’s future with Top Rank still a question mark at the end of 2014, WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KO’s) is reportedly being quickly groomed in the fast lane son that he can move up and face Pacquiao as soon as possible.
Mikey, 26, will be fighting his last fight at super featherweight this month in his title defense against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 KO’s) on January 25th at the Madison Square Garden Theater, in New York, New York, USA.
After this mismatch is over, Mikey will be moving up to lightweight where he could see him fight someone like Yuriorkis Gamboa. I doubt that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will allow Mikey to fight Gamboa, because the Cuban could expose him. You have to think about it like this. If Arum wasn’t interested in putting Mikey in with Guillermo Rigondeaux due to the high risk involved for Mikey, then you can bet that Gamboa is off the table for him at lightweight.
If anything, Mikey will fight just once at lightweight and then move up to light welterweight where he’ll be ready to fight Pacquiao by September, just in case he decides to move on from Top Rank at the end of the year. Having Pacquiao fight Mikey will give him the Midas touch of gold that Pacquiao supposedly gives his opponents that face him; at least that’s what I’ve heard from some of Pacquiao’s fans.
I’ve yet to see one of Pacquiao’s opponents turn into a super start after he fought them. It seems like they either go downhill after they get beaten or it’s a neutral situation where they don’t pick up or lose fans. Tim Bradley is an example of a former Pacquiao’s opponents who didn’t win fans after his fight with him.
“And yes, Top Rank’s plan is absolutely to groom Mikey Garcia for Pacquiao (and as quickly as possible),” said Steve Kim of Maxboxing.
The only way Mikey will be able to avoid the same fate as Joshua Clottey, Brandon Rios and Antonio Margarito is if he can beat Pacquiao. If he loses to him then all he’ll have gotten out of the experience is a payday. If Arum thinks that a Mikey-Pacquiao fight will bring in ton of Mexican fans, I think he’s kidding himself. I doubt that anymore fans will watch the Pacquiao vs. Mikey fight than what they got for Pacquiao-Rios. Mikey doesn’t have a huge fan base, so the only way he – and Arum – come out ahead if he can somehow beat Pacquiao. I don’t think Mikey can. We just saw Roman Martinez drop Mikey. Now imagine a much bigger, faster and more powerful Pacquiao nailing Mikey with shots. I think it’ll end badly for Mikey with him getting knocked out quickly.
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