Ryan Garcia teases fight with Manny Pacquiao, but is it real?

There’s a lot of chatter on social media regarding a possible boxing bout between Ryan Garcia and Manny Pacquiao, but can this fight be made? 

Rumors about who boxer Ryan Garcia will fight next have been swirling ever since his Jan. 2 stoppage of Luke Campbell, but there’s a new name being thrown around.

Social media has been on fire with talk of a potential Ryan Garcia vs. Manny Pacquiao bout, and there seems to be fire among the smoke.

Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) passed his test in the form of Campbell with flying colors, and fighters like Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney have been vocal about challenging Garcia next. Still, Pacquiao is quickly becoming a legitimate consideration for Garcia’s next opponent.

Garcia deleted his Twitter account on Jan. 22 after they removed his verification. Garcia claimed it was due to him speaking about his religious beliefs, but it more likely has to do with Twitter’s new verification policy, as reported by Heavy.com. Regardless, Garcia is speaking to the public through Instagram, and his latest posting alludes to a future fight with Pacquiao.

Late on Sunday, Jan. 24, Garcia shared an improvised fight poster between him and Pacquiao on his Instagram account. He also included a message.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia has a real chance of coming to fruition

“A dream turned reality,” read Garcia’s Instagram message. “It’s an honor to share the Ring with [Manny Pacquiao]. I will always respect what you did in and out the ring. Here’s to the best Man Winning.”

Garcia claims that the fight is a done deal, but there’s no official word yet that the megafight is a reality.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is a boxing legend and an eight-division world champion. He’s currently the WBA welterweight champion. He hasn’t fought since defeating Keith Thurman in July of 2019. At 42 years old, Pacquiao is 20 years older than Garcia and has fought professionally for almost 26 years. That’s longer than Garcia’s time on earth.

Although Pacquiao fights two divisions above Garcia, Garcia seems up for the challenge. The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger tweeted out on Jan. 24 that there are “preliminary discussions” between Garcia and Pacquiao’s camps.

Garcia’s Instagram post might be a ploy to gain attention. It could also be a negotiating tactic to make the super fight a reality.

The alternative could be that it’s already a done deal. That scenario is unlikely, but Pacquiao vs. Garcia would be sure to generate a ton of money. It’s not the fight that anybody saw coming, but it would be a fight that everybody would watch.