Garcia Squares Up To Pacquiao – ‘R1 KO’

Ryan Garcia squared up to Manny Pacquiao during the latter’s weigh-in for his fight with Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo.

Pacquiao takes part in a three-round exhibition with a view to then coming out of retirement. The 45-year-old has been linked with a return against WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios. Garcia is currently banned for a year after testing positive for Ostarine. The news meant his win over Devin Haney was turned into a no-contest. Ryan has been linked with an exhibition in Japan, as he went out to see Manny fight. 

Garcia walked in during the weigh-in at The Tokyo Westin. The crowd gave him huge cheers. However, it was not all smooth sailing. One of the undercard fighters exchanged words with Garcia before showing him his two middle fingers. Garcia returned the favor before standing up, as the two could have had an altercation.

Garcia Attends

Once things settled down, Garcia went on stage to greet Manny as they had a face-off. While a fight is unlikely, Sean Gibbons (manager of Manny’s promotional company) has suggested previously that a Garcia fight would be appealing. 

“Technically he’s out of retirement. He would love to fight Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia. He’s got about a year left. He just wants to fight. Manny feels that he’s in tremendous shape. He’s training for this exhibition but hopefully that will lead to something bigger and better. I do [see a pro return for Pacquiao],” Gibbon said

Pacquiao’s Future

Nevertheless, the Barrios fight is the main aim. A win makes Pacquiao the oldest welterweight champion of all time. He would break his record when he defeated Keith Thruman to win the WBA Welterweight Title at 40. There are natural risks in making a comeback. Father time catches up with everyone. It is tough to see how Manny could beat Barrios based on his last pro-fight. He lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

Since that defeat, Manny has only had one exhibition. He faced DK Yoo and won a unanimous decision. Barrios has been the more active fighter and has already beaten Ugas. Although styles make fights, Barrios is entering his prime. His only losses have come against Thurman and Gervonta Davis. Meanwhile, he has won his last three fights, taking his record to 29-2 with 18 KOs. But if the fight is to get made, Gibbons feels it has to happen by the end of the year. 

“It’s a 50-50 fight but a very winnable fight for Manny. Barrios is the perfect fighter. He has the right style because he’s there to be hit and he brings it. He wants to mix it up. Over the next month or so, we’ll either be able to make the fight or won’t. … It’s very important to get a fight in by December. This is a very important time right now. We have a very short window. This could be the last year because Manny might run for office next year in the Philippines,” Gibbons stated 

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