By Sean Jones: Ryan Garcia is getting a little ahead of himself announcing his fight with Manny Pacquiao next. The match still isn’t signed yet, but it’s possible for September in Los Angeles or Saudi Arabia, according to ESPN Deportes.
There could also be additional offers for the Pacquiao – Ryan fight location, as it’s sure to attract a lot of attention worldside.
Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) posted on Instagram last Sunday that he’ll be fighting Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) next, but he spoke too soon. The negotiations are still going on.
Both fighters could take tune-up first
Among other things that are still to be decided is if Pacquiao and Ryan should go straight into their fight or take a preliminary bout before the meeting.
Pacquiao hasn’t fought in a year and a half since his win over Keith Thurman in July 2019.
That’s a long time for any fighter to be out of the ring, particularly an older guy like Pacquiao. Of course, you can argue that Ryan Garcia is the equivalent of a tune-up for Pacquiao, as he’s not a welterweight, and he has minimal experience against world-class opposition.
Pacquiao should beat Ryan regardless of how much ring rust has accumulated during his 18 months out of the ring.
That would be a risky thing for Ryan, as he would be expected to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis next if he doesn’t fight Pacquiao.
If Ryan doesn’t take that fight, he would be slammed by fans and labeled as ‘ducking’ the Tank fight.
Ryan facing pressure to fight Tank
Pacquiao, 42, already lost out on the Conor McGregor fight due to losing to Dustin Poirier last Saturday night. McGregor (0-1) talked about wanting to fight Pacquiao next in a boxing match for his WBA welterweight title if he got past Poirier.
Unfortunately for Pacquiao, McGregor, 32, was knocked out in the second round by Poirier at UFC 257 last weekend. With that huge setback, Pacquiao can’t afford to lose out on another massive payday by failing to take the fight with Ryan Garcia.
If Ryan doesn’t take Pacquiao next, he’ll be expected to face Tank Davis. That fight will every bit as risky for Ryan as Pacquiao.
Pacquiao can make money fighting anybody, but there would be a lot more risk for him if he fought someone from his own weight division at 147 like Errol Spence Jr, Terence Crawford, or Shawn Porter.
Pacquiao probably wouldn’t make as much money fighting them as he would Ryan Garcia, and the chances of him losing would unquestionably be greater. Ryan isn’t a natural 147-pounders, so he has less chance of being him than Spence, Crawford, or Porter.
If Ryan doesn’t fight Tank, he would still be expected to fight a top 15 contender at lightweight, which means someone like Jorge Linares would be an option.
That’s a toss-up fight, as Linares has a lot of talent, and he’s still dangerous at 35. If Golden Boy used Linares as Ryan’s preliminary fight before the Pacquiao match, they could regret it.
A dream turned reality,” Garcia said on Instagram last Sunday. “It’s an honor to share the ring with @mannypacquiao. I will always respect what you did in and out of the ring. Here’s to the best man win.”
Ryan Garcia could hurt his career
This move by King Ryan to move up two weight classes for a big payday is reminiscent of what Amir Khan did in going up to middleweight to take on Canelo Alvarez in 2016, and Kell Brook going up to 160 to challenge champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the same year.
Both Khan and Brook were knocked out in their respective fights, but they were competitive in losing. Brook’s career has never been the same since his loss to GGG. You can argue that Khan hasn’t been the same fighter either.
Pacquiao has made a lot of money during his long 26-year pro career, and it’s unclear how badly he needs the fight with Ryan.
If Pacquiao requires money, he should still go ahead with the McGregor fight in May or June, get whatever that match will pay, and then face Ryan Garcia in September.
