‘This is NOT happening!’: Ryan Garcia denies he will face boxing icon Manny Pacquiao next after his promoter Oscar De La Hoya claimed a clash between the pair is the ‘biggest fight there is’
Ryan Garcia has hit back at his promoter Oscar De La Hoya for suggesting he should fight boxing icon Manny Pacquiao next.
Garcia is looking to recover after his first professional loss to compatriot Gervonta Davis in April.
Looking for a quick return to the ring, the 24-year-old recently named WBA super lightweight champion Rolly Romero, dangerous Mexican puncher Isaac Cruz or former lightweight king Teofimo Lopez as three potential opponents.
However, de La Hoya has other ideas and would like to see Garcia take on Pacquiao in the near future.
“It’s a very real option for both guys because imagine Ryan Garcia – Manny Pacquiao fighting at a catchweight could be the biggest fight for either guy,” De La Hoya said. Battle with Hub TV.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya (left) wants Ryan Garcia (right) to fight Manny Pacquiao next
Garcia has hit back at his promoter on Twitter, claiming he doesn’t want to meet Pacquiao
Pacquiao has not had a professional fight since losing to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021
“Manny is a little boy to begin with. All his weight is in his calves. He’s got big calves, strong calves, but yeah, I see that fight happening at 142, 143, maybe.
“Rolly is a fun fighter to watch. He and Ryan would be a very entertaining fight, but the biggest fight for Ryan would be a Manny Pacquiao.
He went on to tell reporters, “Manny vs Ryan, you know how big that would be? I’m going to pursue that and we’ll see what the best option is for Ryan.’
But it didn’t take Garcia long to react and he made it clear that he has no interest in fighting the former world champion in the eighth division.
‘This is not happening!! I said what I wanted… It’s frustrating… tired of this,” he wrote on Twitter.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Pacquiao was a major PPV star throughout his career, indicating why De La Hoya would be interested in using him against Garcia, whose fight with Davis was also a huge commercial success. used to be.
But the Filipino southpaw has not fought since August 2021, when he lost to Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas by unanimous decision, later announcing his retirement.
He has since teased a return and was linked with a fight against Britain’s Conor Benn earlier this year, but that clash has yet to materialize.
Meanwhile, after losing to Davis, Garcia stated that he wants to go to 140 pounds to test himself in that division, and now seems to have ruled out the possibility of fighting Pacquiao at catchweight.
Pacquiao was linked with a comeback fight against Britain’s Conor Benn earlier this year