Fans can expect to see a “real fight” in the still being negotiated 10-round exhibition match between Manny Pacquiao and Ryan Garcia, according to ‘King’ Ryan’s dad, Henry Garcia.
Given that the plan is for Pacquiao vs. Ryan to be an exhibition, Pacquiao’s WBA welterweight title won’t be fought over. A catchweight of 143 pounds is being negotiated as the weight for the contest, and it could take place in April or May.
Pacquiao, 42, will be holding onto his WBA title, and his match with the lightweight Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) would be kind of a tune-up.
It appears that what Henry means by him repeatedly calling the Pacquiao-Garcia exhibition match a “real fight” is that it could appear real, but it won’t count in the record books.
From Ryan’s standpoint, that’s a positive because he can avoid a defeat on his 21-0 record, and Pacquiao can avoid a possible loss as well.
It’s not likely that Pacquiao will lose to the young upstart Ryan Garcia, but you never know.
With Ryan’s speed and power in his left hook, he’s capable of knocking out welterweights with that punch. It’s like a whip when he throws that punch, capable of hurting almost anyone.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Henry Garcia says it’s going to be a “changing of the guard fight. it’s our time.”
“I’d like that fight at 143 and I’d love that fight to happen in April or May. This one is possibly going to be in Texas, we’re not sure yet.
“We don’t know exact details yet but we’re looking at a good 10-rounder but it’s going to be a real fight, that I do know.
“No one wants to lose status but they do both want to fight each other and that’s the key.”
Pacquiao vs. Garcia will likely be pay-per-view. The fans would need to decide if they were interested in paying to see Pacquiao fight a young active fighter like Ryan Garcia in an exhibition match on PPV.
If the exhibition match is a “real fight,” as Henry Garcia says, fans will be more than willing to purchase it on PPV. Of course, if it’s a “real fight,” why have it as an exhibition match? The explanation would be for Ryan to avoid a loss on his record.
Some boxing fans would argue that Ryan will soon have a defeat on his record anyway when he fights Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, so why bother going through the trouble to avoid a defeat against Pacquiao?
After Pacquiao is finished with his exhibition match with Ryan Garcia, it’s believed that he’ll negotiate a fight with either Errol Spence Jr or Terence Crawford.
There’s also a possibility that Pacquiao could face Mikey Garcia. Mikey is ranked #4 with the World Boxing Association at 147, a ranking he earned from his win over Jessie Vargas in February 2020.
Pacquiao would make many fans happy if he were to fight Spence or Crawford after he finished with his tune-up exhibition match against Ryan Garcia. Fighting Mikey Garcia would be seen as similar to face Ryan.
Mikey (40-1, 30 KOs) hasn’t fought in almost a year, and he’s not viewed as one of the talented welterweights. However, Pacquiao has earned the fight to take easy fights like Floyd Mayweather, so you can’t blame him if he chooses to face Mikey after his exhibition against Ryan Garcia.
