IT’S going to be a real war.
Rising star Ryan Garcia made the vow that all hell will break loose when he faces the legendary Manny Pacquiao inside the ring, saying he is expecting a genuine fight and not a mere exhibition.
Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) clarified the issue on his Instagram story as there were speculations his non-title bout against the 42-year-old Pacquiao (62-7, 39 KOs) would be more of an exhibition match.
Both sides are still finalizing details of the fight that came after Pacquiao was stripped by the World Boxing Association (WBA) of his bantamweight title belt and declared ‘champion in recess’ for failing to defend his crown for more than a year.
Garcia, 22, said he’s going 12 full rounds against the Filipino boxing great, who is the only fighter to win eight world division titles.
“Hey everybody, I just want to make it real clear: My fight with Pacquiao would not be an exhibition,” said Garcia on his IG story.
“It will be a real fight, shooting for 12 rounds, all on the line,” he added. “Our records will be on the line. I just want to make that very clear for everybody.”
But while terms are being discussed by the camps of both fighters, Golden Boy Promotions was quick to shoot down the fight which Garcia termed as a ‘dream come true’ for him.
Golden Boy serves as Garcia’s promoter.
“There’s nothing to talk about there,” said Golden Boy Executive Eric Gomez in an ESPN interview. “They contacted us, but it turns out, there’s nothing to talk about. That fight isn’t going to happen.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
