Fast-rising lightweight contender Ryan Garcia 21-0 (18) sees himself as the next Manny Pacquiao 62-7-2 (39) but don’t expect to see him box into his 40s.
The 22-year-old Los Angelan, who is coming off a career-best win over two-time world title challenger Luke Campbell in Dallas in January, wants Filipino superstar Pacquiao to pass the torch to him as the face of boxing.
“Manny is that inspiration that makes you a legend. He has lost but eight weight class champion? That’s what you call a legend,” said Garcia, who is hoping to face WBA ‘regular’ titleholder Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 24-0 (23) in his next fight, on the Rich Eishen Show.
“That’s why I feel like maybe after Gervonta, hopefully, this is out of respect and this is not calling him out; I don’t want people to think I’m calling him out that’s stupid. I’m just saying, ‘can we share the ring together and please pass the torch to me’.”
Garcia went on to reveal that he may only fight on for four more years and even suggested a move to mixed martial arts, even if it means facing Conor McGregor in the UFC.
“You’ve seen in the past fighters who retired and came back,” Garcia said.
“This is what I will say. I still plan to retire at 26 – yet, if I am to return back to the ring, I will only battle people [who] people at that time say, ‘There’s no way Ryan will beat him.’ That’s the only way I’m coming back.
“At 26, I still plan to retire. But if I do return back in the ring, I will promise everybody that I will fight people that they say I won’t beat. [Do] you know what I’m willing to do? I haven’t really said this out loud.
“What I plan to do is – say, at 26, I’m done, retired, and boxing is all good, right? …If they say, ‘OK, you’ve beaten everyone in the ring, right?’ [If] somebody goes, ‘This ain’t real fighting. Real fighting is legs, choking, submissions, all that.’
“Guess what I’ll do? I’ll go prove to them that I’m the best fighter all-around in the world. I’m talking about hands. I’m talking about wrestling.
“I’ll go to MMA to prove a point that God is greatest. I’ll go beat whoever in MMA they say I won’t beat. If it has to be Conor McGregor [I fight], I will. I’m not saying this to get money. I don’t care about money. I’m saying this because it’s just how I feel.”
