First time I saw Ryan Garcia fight, I thought I was seeing double.
He looked like Oscar de la Hoya and he fought like the Golden Boy.
Garcia, 22, is being groomed to face off with Manny Pacquiao, 42, in what has been criticized as a gross mismatch by some people.
You see, not only is Garcia young. “KingRy,“ Garcia’s nickname and Instagram handle, is relatively inexperienced.
But the stone-fisted and cat-quick American lightweight, unbeaten in 21 fights with 18 knockouts, has talent. Loads of talent, actually — and lots of ambition, too.
Besides these glowing attributes, Garcia isn’t just tall and rangy at a little over 5-foot-10, but very motivated as well.
And this is the reason why I don’t belong to the immense number of fight fans who insist that all Pacquiao has to do to win is take off his robe and Garcia will automatically pass out.
I share the sentiment of long-time fight fellow Sean Gibbons, who swears that the Garcia clash is a very competitive bout.
“This is a fight the Senator should win but it is not by any means a gimme (type of fight),” Gibbons said from Los Angeles.
“This is not a (Conor) McGregor (type of) fight.”
The passing of the torch Garcia has been talking about is a common boxing occurrence.
This practice has been retold many times over.
Which brings me to the reason why a Pacquiao-Garcia showdown is some event. And why Garcia will prove to everyone that he’s not just a good-looking guy out to cash in on Pacquiao’s immense pull.
Mind you, Garcia’s Instagram following is just south of 8.5 million. Pacquiao’s got 6.1 million.
So, why do I think Garcia has a shot?
Well, while he reminds me of De la Hoya back in the 1990s, I could not help but get bothered by Pacquiao’s age and inactivity.
By the time they get it on, Pacquiao would be almost two years removed from his last outing against Keith Thurman. The eight-division world champion is likewise going to be seven months away from turning 43.
Yeah, Pacquiao always keeps himself in terrific shape even when he is not in training mode.
Every now and then during in-between fights, I see him always in good shape. He doesn’t allow himself to get out of shape.
But then again, I am always reminded of De la Hoya’s coming-out party in June 1996 when he beat up the legendary Mexican warhorse Julio Cesar Chavez.
Though Pacquiao is no Chavez, who is kinda slow and no longer as driven when he faced De La Hoya 25 years ago, the disturbing images of Chavez, unable to cope with his rival’s reflexes, simply bothers me.
Like I said, Garcia is a De la Hoya clone at that time. He has youth, skill and aspiration.
And pitted against Pacquiao’s know-how, determination and self-esteem, Garcia’s got the edge.
Still, it’s not enough for me not to put the rent money on Manny.
I’m even thinking of adding the monthly grocery budget to my wager.
