Ryan Garcia has posted a message to his fans on social media, in which the unbeaten 22-year-old star-in-the-making says he has been unable to get the massive fight, indeed the Dream Fight, he wanted (and still wants) with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. Garcia had nothing bad to say about Pac Man, but he is disappointed that the fight is not going to happen any time soon, if ever.
“To all my fans and supporters, my fight with Manny Pacquiao is not happening right now,” Garcia, 21-0(18) wrote. “I tried my best after getting the call to fight him but [it] didn’t happen because of some issues I didn’t expect to come up but I’m already working on the next fight. I will always see Manny as an inspiration and someone who is a legend and that I respect. I wish the best for him in life and boxing.”
So the talk has now turned to who Garcia might fight next. The name Gervonta “Tank” Davis obviously springs to mind, while Garcia has also expressed interest in fighting another champion in WBC lightweight champ Devin Haney; who Garcia has said repeatedly he will knock out “in two rounds.” Speaking with Fight Hype, Garcia said he is here “for two fights, Pacquiao and Tank.” Garcia added how if these two fights do not happen, “it’s on them.” The current 135 pound division is extremely exciting and loaded with talent, and what we fight fans want is for the so-called “New Four Kings” – Garcia, Haney, Davis and Teofimo Lopez, to get busy fighting each other. Right now, there is far more talk than action, with Haney and ex-champ Vasiliy Lomachenko going back and forth on Twitter, and with Garcia taunting Haney. As for the current top dog of the division, this being Lopez, he at least has his next fight set, against his IBF mandatory, George Kambosos Jr.
Hopefully, the big lightweight match-ups we all want to see will get made, starting with Garcia against Davis this year. This is a fight that would be huge if promoted right, and a great case can be made for ether guy winning and of the fight turning out to be very special. Garcia seems to want this fight more so than any other barring the Pacquiao super-fight. Who wins, Garcia or Davis? It’s a toss-up in the opinion of many, but most agree the fight would end with a KO one way or the other. Again, let’s hope the fight gets made.
As for who Pacquiao might fight next now that we know it will not be Garcia, there are a few names still being discussed – Terence Crawford, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence and even Conor McGregor. As to why the Pacquiao-Garcia fight fell apart, there has been no official word. Garcia was looking forward to it in a huge, huge way, as were plenty of his fans and many of Pacquiao’s fans. Just what were the “issues that came up” that Garcia wasn’t expecting?