Ryan Garcia targets Manny Pacquiao fight as he vows to replicate scary knockout

Ryan Garcia has revealed he is targeting Manny Pacquiao as his next opponent after the Filipino icon fought the WBC champion Mario Barrios to a draw last weekend.

Talks of Garcia and Pacquiao fighting first emerged four years ago, but nothing ever materialised as Pacquiao was in retirement. But with Pacquiao now back in the professional ranks, Garcia says he is ready and has dreamt of fighting a legend like ‘Pac Man’.

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Garcia told The Ring: “I’ve been interested in fighting the legendary Manny Pacquiao for a while now. It’s something that you dream of. There have been talks in the past of us fighting, and then it fell through.

He continued: “There is a history there. I am always up for the challenge; I would be lying if I said I am not interested. If Manny wants to throw down, let’s do it.”

Pacquiao said Garcia was on his shortlist of fighters he would take on if he returned, but this was before he fought Barrios, and since his manager, Sean Gibbons, said they were looking at Rolando Romero, who defeated Garcia earlier this year, or Gervonta Davis.

Despite his exclusion from this hit list, Garcia believes that he is a totally different proposition to a fighter like Barrios, and this is perhaps why he hasn’t mentioned his name.

Garcia said: “I’m a much different fighter than Barrios and styles make fights. Barrios is not a big name, but Manny believes that he could beat Barrios and that’s why he took the fight."

He continued to explain: “Manny’s style fits perfectly into my style. I’m an extremely good counterpuncher. Pacquiao knows that, and that’s why most of the time he doesn’t mention me as a guy he would want to fight."

Garcia even went as far as to say he would replicate the knockout that Juan Manuel Marquez inflicted on Pacquiao in their fourth and final fight.

Garcia said: “I know that I would present a lot of problems for Pacquiao. I would dominate him. I would capitalise on his mistakes better than other guys. I would knock him out like Juan Manuel Marquez – all due respect to the legend Manny, though."

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After suffering a defeat by Romero in one of the upsets of the year so far, Garcia has undergone surgery on his right hand and is on the road to recovery. He says he will fight in December, with or without Pacquiao.

He said: ‘I’m looking for and shooting for a fight in December."

He added: “If Manny Pacquiao does want to fight me and make big money in a huge fight, then let’s do it. If not, that’s OK with me. I can fight Rolly [Romero] in a rematch – either route is ok with me.”

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