Boxing
Fight Night Fumble: Pacquiao’s Comeback in Jeopardy as Garcia Talks Heat Up
Garcia and Rolly Romero are currently in serious discussions for a rematch later this year, which is a bit of a blow for Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s advisor, Sean Gibbons, had hinted that Romero was a top contender to fight Pacquiao next as the boxing legend looks to make his comeback.
At 46 years old, Pacquiao nearly achieved a remarkable feat last weekend, coming close to becoming the second-oldest world champion in boxing history. He fought Mario Barrios to a draw in a WBC welterweight title match, leading both him and Barrios to express their desire for a rematch right after the fight.
However, Gibbons had made it clear that Romero or Gervonta Davis were the more financially attractive options for Pacquiao’s next bout, which is scheduled for late 2025. Romero was at the forefront, largely due to his position as the WBA ‘regular’ welterweight champion.
Unfortunately for Pacquiao fans, it appears he may not face Romero at the end of the year after all. Reports from Ring Magazine indicate that Garcia and Romero are nearing an agreement for a rematch in December. The first fight saw Romero pull off an incredible upset by defeating Garcia in May on an eventful card in Times Square. Rolly knocked Garcia down in the second round and won by unanimous decision, putting a halt to Garcia’s much-anticipated rematch with Devin Haney.
Initially, there were plans to have both Garcia and Romero fight different opponents, with hopes of seeing them square off again in October. However, after Garcia’s loss, those plans fell through. This fight against Romero was Garcia’s return after a year-long drug suspension, where he failed tests for the banned substance Ostarine, resulting in his previous victory over Haney being overturned to a no contest.
Despite sustaining a right hand injury before the match with Romero, Garcia underwent surgery in late May and is now fully back in training. He expressed his excitement about fighting again, telling Ring Magazine, “I’m looking for a fight in December. I want to be back in Las Vegas, fighting in front of a big crowd because that energy fuels me. I’m already training, lifting weights, and easing back into hitting the pads. I feel like I’m recovering quicker from this surgery than the last one, which is encouraging.”
Bill Haney confirms That Ryan Garcia is the A SIDE. Says Devin Haney signed with Golden Boy to make the fight and that he could fight other Golden Boy fighters. This proves Devin Haney never wanted to fight Tank or Subriel Matias since he left Matchroom or went to PBC for Tank🦆 pic.twitter.com/4RDG0AMYVU
— NUKE 💰 (@NukeVuitton) February 21, 2024
Garcia remains open to future possibilities: “If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me for a big payday, I’d love to make it happen. But if that doesn’t come together, I’m fine fighting Rolly again—either way works for me.”