Danny Garcia, an elite welterweight in the stable of powerful boxing manager Al Haymon, has started the hype for Manny Pacquiao’s first bout in the United States since 2016.
Garcia, who lost a close unanimous decision to Shawn Porter for the vacant WBC welterweight title in September, is choosing Adrien Broner over Pacquiao when the eight-division champion attempts to defend his secondary World Boxing Association welterweight belt on Jan. 19.
“I know a lot of people are picking Pacquiao,” Garcia told boxingscene.com. But he said his selection would be Broner in an upset because he is younger.
Although Garcia wants a rematch with Porter, he is also intrigued about the possibility of facing the winner of Pacquiao vs. Broner, a pay-per-view Showtime bout scheduled at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Garcia believes he’d beat either fighter. “I’ve never doubted myself,” he said. “I know I’m one of the best … I know I’m the best.”
But should Pacquiao defeat Broner, Garcia has to wait in line, since his stablemates, including Porter, Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr., may also want a piece of Pacquiao.
After signing with Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, the Filipino boxing legend and sitting senator not only effectively ended his relationship with Bob Arum, his long time promoter in America.
He also kept his word that he would fight in the United States again, a turnaround from his stance that he would remain out because of Internal Revenue Service claims connected to his 2015 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the biggest dud but the richest boxing bout of all time.
The last time Pacquiao fought in the United States was on Nov. 5, 2016, when he won a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas to reclaim the WBO welterweight title at the Thomas & Mack Center inside the campus of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
A press conference to officially announce Pacquiao vs. Broner will be held in New York on Monday, Nov. 19 (Tuesday in Manila), with the two also set to appear together at a second press conference the following day in Beverly Hills, California.
Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) turns 40 next month. Pacman scored a seventh-round technical knockout of Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur in July, his first KO since 2009.
The 29-year-old Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) has lost two fights since June 2015 to Porter (welterweight) and Mikey Garcia (lightweight). In April, he fought Vargas to a draw in Brooklyn.