Pacquiao eyed as Ryan Garcia opponent — report

MANILA, Philippines — Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao again found himself in a conversation for another pro fight.

This after the camp of Ryan Garcia is reportedly considering pitting the popular young fighter against Pacquiao.

Per Michael Benson of talkSPORT.com, it was Garcia’s promoter and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions who broached the idea about Pacquiao being a potential opponent for Garcia.

?? Ryan Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya has told reporters that he’s now looking at Manny Pacquiao as a potential opponent for Garcia’s next fight: “Manny vs Ryan, you know how huge that would be? I’m gonna pursue that and we’ll see what the best option is for Ryan.” pic.twitter.com/cnCzr2BbNX

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 31, 2023

“Manny vs Ryan, you know how huge that would be? I’m gonna pursue that and we’ll see what the best option is for Ryan,” Benson quoted De La Hoya as saying.

Garcia lost his last fight when he succumbed to a body shot from the power-punching Gervonta Davis last April 22, which blemished his then-perfect record of 22-0 (with 19 KOs). It was a highly anticipated showdown between rising stars who had been going back-and-forth on social media.

Aside from having decent power but with limited boxing skills, the 25-year-old Garcia boasts a huge following on social media — he has 10.4 million followers on Instagram.

The 44-year-old Pacquiao, for his part, hasn’t fought professionally since losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. The last time he had been in the ring was in an exhibition bout against Korean YouTuber DK Yoo, whom he dominated in December last year.

This isn’t the first time a Pacquiao-Garcia showdown is being considered, with negotiations being reported as early as two years ago.