Manny Pacquiao vs. Mikey Garcia: An Early Preview

Of the three fighters on the Pacquiao shortlist, Mikey
Garcia has been the most vocal about his desire to face the fighting Senator.

“I want to get big fights,” Garcia recently told
FightHype.com. “I want to get fights that people are excited for, and want to
watch. We’ve been discussing a fight against Manny Pacquiao for a long time
now, and it seems like it’s very close and it can actually happen.

“He has some political obligations with the government right
now…but the last thing I heard, he’s interested in fighting in the early part
of the summer. There’s still no opponent secured. That’s why I want to jump in
and try and get that fight.

“I really hope I can get that fight, because the fans
can really enjoy my fight between Manny and myself. I’ve talked about it for
some time, and I think that would be a great match-up. I would love that fight.
That’s the type of fight that would really motivate me, and excites me. It’s a
fight that really challenges me and pushes me to the limit.”

But what would happen if the 31-year-old 4-division world
champ DID meet the 8-division soon-to-be 41-year-old champ?

Garcia is a cool-headed, efficient, well-schooled fighter
with picture-perfect technique who fights tall behind an impeccable jab and
laser-sharp follow-up right. His calm demeanor makes him an unflappable foe who
is not distracted easily or pulled out of his game.

His most recent fight—a one-sided unanimous decision loss to
Errol Spence in a bid for the IBF welterweight title—can be seen as a one-time
aberration until proven otherwise. Garcia proved to be too small for Spence
and, once the opening bell sounded, had nothing with which to keep the
welterweight top dog honest.

Against foes his own size, it can still be assumed that
Garcia is Garcia and that his strengths will still be his strengths.

Pacquiao, despite being a welterweight for the last 10 years
and 17 fights, is, for all intents and purposes, more or less Garcia’s size.
He’s certainly no small middleweight disguised as a welter, like Spence. So, at
least in theory, Garcia will be fighting Manny on even size terms.

Pacquiao, though, is not at all reliant on size to be
effective against anybody.

The 24-year veteran is still an ultra-athletic force of nature with quick hands and feet, a tenacious mindset, and an off-putting extreme southpaw style that throws opposition off-kilter and creates opportunities to land big, jarring shots. Pacquiao’s physicality is more than enough to beat most opposition, but when combined with some experience-honed patience and guile, he becomes almost an unsolvable puzzle, baffling to all but the most elite of the elite.

Despite his age and the wear and tear of so many battles in
the sport, Pacquiao is still surprisingly fresh as a fighter and, with his most
recent win over a ten-years-younger Keith Thurman, has fought his way back into
elite-level recognition in the 147 lb. class.

If Pacquiao and Garcia meet in the ring, fans will be
treated to an interesting clash of styles and temperaments.

Garcia will try to push towards a straight up and down
boxing match and work to keep things nice and controlled behind his jab.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, will be looking to dash and
dart as usual, winning Garcia’s respect with power shots early in the fight and
keeping the Mexican-American from settling into a comfortable groove and
distance.

For Garcia to win, he’ll have to be able to successfully
time Pacquiao, keep him from the freedom he likes to have in launching attacks
at unorthodox angles, and force him to fight a more conservative fight.

Needless to say, that’s a daunting task and one which only a
very small handful of fighters have been able to do against Manny.

Garcia, despite being an outstanding fighter and ring
tactician, is most likely not one of the members of the ultra-exclusive “shut
down Pacquiao” club. He’ll give it a good go and win his fair share of moments,
but beating him won’t be in the books. Ultimately, his own orthodox mindset and
preference for order will make him vulnerable to Manny’s unorthodoxy and keep
him one step behind.

Pacquiao wins a solid decision, provides Garcia with a very nice payday, and moves forward to one more bout in his legendary career.

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