As you have no doubt read by now, there are serious talks going down regarding a possible Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia fight. When 22 year old Garcia first spoke of this fight – his “Dream Fight,” as he described it – not too many people believed it would actually happen. But now, with talks underway, and with Manny’s potential easy night for big money against Conor McGregor out due to what happened to the Irishman on Saturday night, maybe we will actually see a Pacquiao-Garcia showdown.
And what a fascinating fight it could turn out to be. Or what a mismatch it could prove to be. There are a bunch of questions going into this fight (if we do actually go into it, if it does happen) – is Manny too old at 42? Is Garcia too green and inexperienced at age 22? Is Garcia (5’10”) to big for Pac Man (5’6”)? Who will be the man with the swifter, faster hands on the night? Does this fight have the potential to become a huge P-P-V smash hit?
Pacquiao, as we know, has not fought since the summer of 2019, when he looked good, maybe even great, in taking Keith Thurman’s unbeaten record. How sharp will Pacquiao be in his next fight, be it against Garcia or someone else? Garcia, as we know, was heavily decked by the veritable non-punching Luke Campbell in his last fight and his biggest win to date. Can Garcia live with Pacquiao’s punch-power?
There are a few possible scenarios one can envisage ahead of this possible fight: Pacquiao, 62-7-2(39) could blast a defensively leaky Garcia quick. Garcia, 21-0(18) could find himself in the ring with a Pacquiao who has, as the old adage goes, grown old overnight, and he would proceed to outbox, out-punch and pretty much embarrass the all-time great. Or, in scenario number-three, we could see an epic Age Vs. Youth, Speed Vs. Speed, Experience Vs. Enthusiasm Battle of The Ages that thrills millions.
Is this fight too big a gamble for Garcia? It is too big a gamble for Pacquiao? Will it actually happen here in 2021? This year’s boxing calendar really could prove to be one that is full of surprises.
