SPORTS SHORTS 222: RUMORED MANNY PACQUIAO FOE MIKEY GARCIA FACES SANDOR MARTIN
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 19 Sep 2021
Former four-weight world champion Mikey Garcia is just contented to be fighting against an unknown Sandor Martin. This will happen after a lengthy story of a proposed fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2020.
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Garcia was programmed to face Pacquiao after acceding to a deal with the Filipino icon, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The rumor of a fight was revived again in 2021 but failed to materialize.
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The Mexican-American Garcia of Oxnard, California returns to action on October 16 against the Spanish Martin at the Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California. Garcia vs. Martin headlines a fight card featuring two light-flyweight world title bouts.
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WBO light flyweight champion Elwin Soto (19-1, 13 KOs) faces mandatory challenger Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1, 14 KOs) in a Mexico vs. Puerto Rico clash. WBA “world” light flyweight champ Esteban Bermudez (14-3-2, 10 KOs) defend his belt against #2 contender Jesse Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KO).
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Sporting an impressive record of 40-1 with 30 KOs, Garcia last fought on February 29, 2020. He floored Jessie Vargas in the 5th round at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, en route to a unanimous decision win of 114-113, 116-111, 116-111.
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The 33-year-old Garcia is targeting a journey towards more world titles even if he was not able to get the Manny Pacquiao fight. Pacquiao subsequently lost to Yordenis Ugas.
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The win could have been Garcia's if the fight with Pacquiao pursued, his supporters thought. Meanwhile as a Californian fan favorite, Garcia plans to fight at the home of the Fresno Grizzlies of the minor league baseball.
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“I’m very excited to get back in the ring and give my fans another night to remember,” said Garcia in World Boxing News. "I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on October 16 in Fresno – it’s going to be a great night of boxing.”
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Martin (38-2, 13 KOs) makes his American debut in what is considered the biggest fight of his career. On April 23, the Spaniard recorded a unanimous decision win over British Kay Prospere in the second defense of his European super lightweight title in his Barcelona hometown.
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The 28-year-old southpaw is enthusiastic to do well in the ring on what he thinks likely as a momentous fight. “I’m so excited for this opportunity,” said Martin. “The sport of boxing brings me the chance to change my life. There will be a before and after for everyone in this fight.”
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Garcia says he saw the effects of advanced age on the 42-year-old Pacquiao in his loss against Ugas in Las Vegas. After this dwindling performance from Pacquiao, Mikey says he’s not sure if the Filipino star will still pursue his career.
But if Manny still continue with his career, Mikey would be interested to fight him.
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The ferocity and agility of the former eight-division world champion Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) which were his trademarks in his 26-year boxing career were gone, according to Mikey.
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Although Garcia still saw Pacquiao fighting competitively, he said the Filipino didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to subdue the big size advantage that the 5’9″ Cuban world champ Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) used to his dominance.
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“I thought Manny would pull it off, but I think what made it so difficult was the size difference between Ugas,” said Mikey Garcia to Fighthype. "I think what made it difficult is the size. Yordenis Ugas is a huge guy. He’s tall with a long reach."
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“He made it difficult for Pacquiao to get comfortable in the ring. I think Manny is starting to realize that his body is starting to show signs of age."
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“He didn’t have the footwork that he used to. He didn’t have the explosiveness, the quickness to jump in and out. And he acknowledged that he felt cramps in his legs," added Garcia. “He fought a good fight, but it wasn’t the Manny that we’ve seen in the past."
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“Congrats to Ugas. He got that opportunity,” said Mikey. “He was supposed to be fighting [Fabian] Maidana. Two weeks before that, they made the change," said Garcia in Boxing News 24." It’s not what he was prepared to do, but he took advantage, and he fought a hard fight, and he won."
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“I don’t know if he’s going to fight or not. Things change every week,” said Garcia when asked if he is still interested in a fight with Pacquiao. “He seems like he’s going to think about it. It’s not up to me. It’s up to him to figure out if he’s going to be fighting or not,” said Mikey whether Manny will continue with his career.
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“He never said, ‘I’m not retiring. I’m coming back. I’ll see you guys soon.’ He didn’t say that,” said Mikey about Pacquiao not clearly saying whether he would continue his career.
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“Probably disappointed and going through a tough 12 round fight. He’s tired and all that,” said Gsrcia on Pacquiao’s actions after the fight with Ugas.
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“As I said, he’s probably considering contemplating the future. A lot of things were going through his mind at the moment, " said Mikey. “So let him take a break, take some time off, and rest a bit. Then he’ll be able to give a more clear answer on his future."
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Chris Paul has played for five NBA franchises and has made all of them improve their performance each time he was with the team. Paul is considered one of the greatest Charlotte Hornets players of all time and could also be the greatest Los Angeles Clipper of all time.
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He helped the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns become NBA Final contenders. His term with the Oklahoma City Thunder also exhibited Paul's leadership capability. He is a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires for good.
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The King of Akron, LeBron James is the greatest player who has played in three NBA franchises. LeBron started his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, before joining the Miami Heat to win his first two NBA championship rings.
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James then returned to Cleveland to win his third title and seized his fourth championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. No player has been as influential as LeBron James in the league history, and that he played for three teams and won titles with all of them is an incredible achievement.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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