KEY POINTS

  • Mikey Garcia is leaving the door open for a potential Manny Pacquiao fight
  • The Mexican-American boxer says Pacquiao is opting for lesser risk but financially rewarding fights
  • Garcia understands Pacquiao's plans before retiring from boxing

Manny Pacquiao is looking for a fight and is aware he has options.

Though nothing has been set in stone yet, one name that has been often mentioned as potential opponents is former multiple boxing champion Mikey Garcia.

Being tagged as one of the possible foes for Pacquiao’s next fight is considered an honor. But in the case of Garcia, the odds of seeing him face the 42-year-old boxing icon are not that high.

Several names like Ryan Garcia and Conor McGregor got the nod ahead of him, something he believes is because of lesser risk and big money involved.

With that said, Garcia seems to accept the fact that a fight with the eight-time division champion may or may not happen. He shared his thoughts when he spoke on Little Giant Boxing.

Like most, it appears Garcia has been silently following Pacquiao updates. It seems to date back to last year when the Filipino southpaw was originally set to face UFC star Conor McGregor. That all vanished when “The Notorious” lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

From there, Ryan Garcia entered the picture. “King Ry” was a sensible alternative considering he was coming off a sensational win over Luke Campbell.

Putting it all together, it makes sense to feel that Pacquiao has his priorities and the 33-year-old is not among the top names on the list.

Indirectly, the former lineal junior welterweight champion feels that if Pacquiao wants a real fight, he should face an actual welterweight.

Garcia knows that the boxer-senator has earned the right to pick his opponents, having done it all in the ring. But for as long as Pacquiao is still active in boxing, he is not closing the door on a potential clash with the future boxing Hall of Famer.

For now, Garcia may have to focus and target other opponents. He last saw action on Feb. 29, 2020, hacking out a unanimous decision victory over Jesse Vargas.

It was a fitting rebound fight for the American pugilist who previously lost to Errol Spence Jr. in March 2019.

Mikey Garcia
Mikey Garcia is looking for a big title fight at 147 pounds. In this picture, Garcia enters the ring for his WBC & IBF World Lightweight Title fight against Robert Easter Jr. at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, July 28, 2018. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Right now, Terence Crawford appears to be on Pacquiao’s radar aside from “King Ry.”

Pacquiao is more than willing to step inside the ring for as long as he is paid more than “Bud” as mentioned in a previous post.

Crawford prefers to face Pacquiao although the decision on that may fall in the hands of Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

So far, the veteran promoter has yet to respond to the fight purse demands of Pacquiao where he wants to get $40 million.

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