Mikey Garcia celebrates after defeating Jessie Vargas in a unanimous decision in a WBC Welterweight Diamond Championship bout at The Ford Center at The Star on February 29, 2020 in Frisco, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Mikey Garcia believes his style would cause Manny Pacquiao a lot of trouble if they end up meeting in the ring down the road.
Garcia, a four-division champion, sees himself fighting Pacquiao the same way Juan Manuel Marquez did in the past.
“I can fight really well. I feel that my boxing style can complicate things a lot for him similar to the way Marquez complicated things for Manny in all those fights,” Garcia told Fox Sports.
Widely considered as the Filipino legend’s greatest rival, Marquez went toe-to-toe with Pacquiao four times and a total of 42 rounds.
Marquez, an exceptional counterpuncher, settled for a split draw in the first encounter then lost by decision in the rematch and trilogy. But the retired Mexican warrior had the final say when he knocked out Pacquiao with just a second left in the sixth round of their fourth showdown in 2012.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Garcia has only lost once in 41 bouts after he got totally outclassed by undefeated welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. last year.
Spence was too big and too good in the one-sided bout, but Garcia thinks that wouldn’t be the case against Pacquiao.
“He doesn’t have the height and reach advantage like Errol, so I think that makes it a better fight for me. I know he’s going to engage and I know he’s going to fight hard,” said Garcia, who is listed as the same height as Pacquiao at 5-foot-6.
“He’s a great fighter. He’s a living legend, and I would love to add that to my resume. Fighting the great Manny Pacquiao would be tremendous for my legacy.”
Garcia got back on track with a unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas last February but knows a fight against Pacquiao is the kind of bout that he needs to boost his stock.
“If I’m capable of securing a victory over him and that definitely adds to what I want to accomplish with my legacy and those big triumphs. I’m excited if we can get that fight, that would be the best fight,” he said.
Unfortunately for Garcia, Pacquiao, the WBA (Super) welterweight champion, won’t gain much from fighting him at this point.
The 41-year-old Pacquiao also has a lot of options for his next fight with a showdown against Terence Crawford or Spence possible.
“I know there are other opportunities for him, there’s other options that you mentioned like Keith Thurman, maybe Errol Spence or Danny Garcia,” Garcia said.
“I’m sure all of these are big fights for Manny, but I would love the opportunity as well. It’s a great fight, the fanbase would love that. I have a lot of fans and he’s obviously the biggest draw.”