Garcias focus on Pacquiao as Mikey’s next opponent

MANILA, Philippines – It’s Manny Pacquiao the Garcia family wants Mikey to fight at welterweight.

If the eight-division world champion is unavailable, chances are Mikey Garcia will return to 140.

This is the consensus of the Garcias, who also include renowned trainer Robert.

“Well look, being Mikey’s brother and trainer, you know, with my dad, with my son, we all agree that that’s the only fight that we would really want Mikey to do at welterweight,” Robert Garcia said in an interview with DAZN. 

“You know, he wants to have another welterweight fight and he wants to get a title. And I think Manny is the biggest fight out there for Mikey, but it’s also the one that matches better for Mikey because Pacquiao is not as big as all the other welterweights. Pacquiao was a flyweight at one time.”

As per record, Pacquiao beat Edmund Ignacio by unanimous decision in his ring debut at light flyweight 25 years ago in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.

“You know, even though his body has developed into a solid welterweight, but he’s not as big, he’s not as tall. You know, very dangerous, very fast, very strong, but that’s probably the only fight that we’re OK with at welterweight,” added Robert Garcia, a former International Boxing Federation junior lightweight titlist and two-time Trainer of the Year. 

“Even though I still think it’s a very dangerous fight, I think that’s the only one that we could probably agree to with my father and everybody around our team. That’s the only one that we would want for Mikey at welterweight.”

The Garcias’ preference for Pacquiao is a no-brainer.

Physically, Mikey Garcia, a four-division world champion, and Pacquiao both stand 5-foot-6 and are almost of the same body built.

Pacquiao may have bulked up but he still enters the ring at around 151 pounds, Mikey’s weight when he decked Jessie Vargas in the 5th round and won by unanimous decision last February.

The more enticing reasons, of course, are beating Pacquiao will add up to the legacy of Mikey besides raking in the most money.

British promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing is still searching for a financier of Pacquiao-Garcia, which was targeted to happen in Saudi Arabia on July 11.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting collapse of crude oil prices, however, dampened the fight’s chances of being staged by that time.

But the Garcias remain hopeful Hearn will be able to pull off the lucrative deal.

Pacquiao, after all, welcomes a title duel with Mikey Garcia. – Rappler.com