"That fight isn't going to happen" - Golden Boy Promotions shut down Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia talk
Ryan Garcia's promoter says that the boxing match against Manny Pacquiao will not happen, following "King Ry's" announcement that he would face the boxing legend in an upcoming fight.
The bout's announcement was made in an Instagram post by Ryan Garcia himself one day after Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 257. Pacquiao is linked to a fight with the Irish UFC star later in 2021.
For combat sports fans' frustration, Golden Boy Promotions, the agency managing Ryan Garcia's career, interceded, declaring to ESPN Knockout that the bout will not take place, at least for now.
"There's nothing to talk about there. They contacted us, but it turns out there's nothing to talk about. That fight isn't going to happen."
Ryan Garcia's agent, Guadalupe Valencia, preferred not to dismiss the chances of the fight entirely. The agent told The Athletic that this setback does not mean that the talks are over.
"We're discussing terms. Manny and Ryan want it and instructed their teams to make it happen. That's what we're trying to accomplish."
22-year-old Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) is the boxing world's rising star. "King Ry" defeated Luke Campbell via knockout earlier in 2021 to capture the interim WBC lightweight belt.
As for Pacquiao, retired since mid-2019, plans are that the current Senator of the Phillippines would face McGregor in a boxing bout. The two share the same agent, Audie Attar, who declared that he "would be surprised if the fight didn't happen."
Who is Ryan Garcia fighting next?
Ryan Garcia told ESPN that the mock-up poster posted to his Instagram promoting the fight with Manny Pacquiao was a product of his excitement with the possibility of facing his idol.
"You get a call, and somebody says, 'You can fight Manny Pacquiao.' What are you going to say to that?"
But if not Pacquiao, who is Ryan Garcia fighting next? His agent, Guadalupe Valencia, believes that a matchup against WBC lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez is the safest bet.
"Teofimo is more feasible. It's one of the fights that's obviously of interest to Ryan Garcia. It could be a great fight."
20 years older than Ryan Garcia, Pacquiao is considered to be one of the best boxers in history. He announced in 2020 that he would fight "once or twice" during 2021 before finally retiring.