SPORTS SHORTS 43: RYAN GARCIA SAYS FIGHT WITH MANNY PACQUIAO NOT AN EXHIBITION
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 01 Feb 2021
Ryan Garcia was sincere when he declared his desire to fight Manny Pacquiao. He made clear on the issues surrounding the fight recently. “Hey everybody, just want to make it real clear - my fight with Manny Pacquiao will not be an exhibition,” Garcia stated on his own Instagram Live channel, informing his followers of more than 8.1 million subscribers. “It will be a real fight. Shooting for 12 rounds.”
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Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) recovered from a knockdown to stop Luke Campbell (20-4, 16 KOs) in the 7th round of their WBC interim lightweight championship on January 2, 2021 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Garcia was then made to lineup to challenge undefeated WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney (25-0, 15 KOs). Later his focus shifted towards a more lucrative fight with Gervonta Davis (24-0, 23KOs), and afterwards his attention mutated towards a multi-million showdown with Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs).
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Pacquiao was aiming a superfight with UFC celebrity Conor McGregor and the plan was dissolved when Irishman was defeated via a 2nd round knockout by Dustin Poirier during UFC 257 a week ago. Then talks began for a rumored catchweight fight with Garcia, who would move up to higher weight class. Grapevine circulated that the fight will just be an eight-round exhibition, though such allegations were refuted by the pervasive Sean Gibbons, president of MP Promotions.
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Garcia also doused cold water on such false information. “It’s all on the line,” Garcia insists of the planned fight. “Our records on the line. I just want to make that very clear for everybody out there." Pacquaio now relegated to “Champion in Recess” by the WBA due to inactivity, is waiting for his negotiators to finalize the bout to be staged in the springtime. But if its late already, then a schedule in the fall season will be targeted.
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Meanwhile, Pacquiao commented that McGregor underrated his foe Poirier. "Losing is part of the game. In sport there are winners and losers, that's all. It is not about defeat, but about how you accept defeat in your life: how you get over that difficult time in your life," Pacquiao told ABS-CBN News in an interview. "McGregor had already beaten his rival before and I think that made him underestimate him."
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Gibbons concurred with the senator's opinion. "Very unfortunate [that McGregor lost], it looked like Conor looked past Dustin and got knocked out. Maybe he had the Senator on his mind. I think the demand for the fight is not there presently," Gibbons told Sun Sport. "Conor has some business to clean up and handle in the UFC. It's a bummer, it could have been fun for as long as it lasted and know leg kicks would have made a world of difference."
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Eddie Hearn stated that the there's no done deal yet for a Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight. Hearn, however, admitted that they’re very close to finalizing the contracts for the Alvarez-Saunders bout on May 1 or May 8 at a venue to be determined. Hearn also said that Saunders will be paid a lower purse for facing the Mexican world champ in three months than the amount Saunders would have earned had he faced Alvarez last May 2.
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“Not signed,” Hearn said regarding the contracts for an Alvarez-Saunders match. “So, you know, we’re just working on a few things. But it’s true that that is the plan. I mean, right now we have a, Matchroom have a two-fight deal with Canelo Alvarez. Obviously, the plan is to try and make the second fight Billy Joe Saunders. That’s the reason he’s gone with us. We have a one-fight deal at the moment with DAZN, which is Avni Yildirim. And we’re working on tying up the second fight of that two-fight deal with Matchroom. So, that will be hopefully Billy Joe Saunders."
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Hearn said that Canelo and his trainer Eddy Reynoso are just concentrating on the fight with Yildirim in Miami on February 27. And they will be working behind the scenes to iron out everything with Billy Joe Saunders to "make sure he’s a hundred-percent happy". He doesn’t want to announce the Alvarez-Saunders fight before the Yildirim fight, because until Canelo wins or finished it unharmed, then that fight is not happening with Saunders. If the huge favorite Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) beats the underdog Turkey’s Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs), the four-division champion would have an opportunity to add a third supermiddleweight title to his collection when he faces Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs).
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The Washington Wizards pulled off a 149-146 surprising win over the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena, Washington D. C. on Sunday. Russell Westbrook, top scored with 41 points, together with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Bradley Beal sank in 37 points with six rebounds. Kevin Durant had 37 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Kyrie Irving poured in 26 points and eight assists in a losing effort. Joe Harris hit a career-high eight three-pointers en route to scoring 30 points The Nets played without James Harden who rested with a left thigh contusion.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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