The negotiations between Manny Pacquiao and Mikey Garcia are reportedly DYING for a July fight in Saudi Arabia. Mike Coppinger reporting that it’s not looking good for the Pacquiao-Garcia fight, which would have been shown on DAZN.
The 41-year-old WBA Super World welterweight champion Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is said to be difficult to make contact now, and this could be a sign that he’s got other options for his next fight other than Mikey. Pacquiao still has a fight left on contract with Premier Boxing Champions.
Whether the Pacquiao vs. Mikey talks can be salvaged is the important question. This is a bad time for the fight to be negotiated, as it’s coming right in the middle of a perfect storm with the coronavirus spreading like an out of control wildfire throughout the world.
Any boxing matches such as the Pacquiao-Garcia fight that are negotiated now would have a high probability of being postponed unless it’s scheduled near the end of the year.
Pacquiao could be eyeing Spence or Danny Garcia
Just who they would have in mind is unclear. IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and Danny Garcia, both PBC fighters, are interested in fighting Pacquiao.
Mikey, 32, is someone that will be available for Pacquiao to fight at any time. There’s no pressing need for Pacquiao to fight the former four-division world champion Mikey right now.
Manny has more to gain fighting Spence (26-0, 21 KOs), who is considered by some to be the #1 fighter in the welterweight division bar none. Pacquiao gains more by fighting Spence than he would in taking on Mikey, who didn’t look all that spectacular in his recent 12 round unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas on February 29 in Frisco, Texas.
Two of the judges scored it for Mikey by the wide scores of 116-111, 116-111, while the third had it 114-113. A lot of people in the boxing world scored it a draw. Mikey appeared to win 4 to 5 rounds tops, and he let Vargas outwork him in the majority of the fight.
Vargas is no longer one of the elite welterweights in the division. His heyday came and went back in 2016. After losing to Pacquiao in 2016, Vargas’ career has done into a steep decline, which is why it was odd that he was picked by Matchroom for Mikey to fight.
If they wanted Mikey to prove that he’s a legit welterweight, they should have matched him against Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia or Vergil Ortiz Jr. Those are the guys that Mikey should have fought to earn the Pacquiao fight, not past his prime Vargas.
Based on that performance, Pacquiao would gain very little fighting Mikey because he’s still unproven with his 1-1 record at 147. If you scored the Garcia vs. Vargas fight as a draw, then Mikey’s record at welterweight is 0-1-1.
That’s hardly good enough for him to deserve a title shot against Pacquiao, especially you’ve got so many hard-working contenders that have been waiting for their title shot for years. It’s not fair for the contenders that have been waiting.
Mikey’s options if no Pacquiao fight
If Mikey doesn’t get the fight against Pacquiao, he can take on some of the quality welterweights that are in their prime. There’s a lot of good welterweights that Mikey can fight if he gets skipped over by Pacquiao. This is a shortlist:
- Yordenis Ugas
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Danny Garcia
- Shawn Porter
- Terence Crawford
If Mikey can beat two or three of those fighters, he’ll have earned the Pacquiao fight. The problem is, Mikey would likely lose to all of those fighters, including a half dozen other welterweights in the division.
What Matchroom Boxing should be
