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Ryan Garcia Reveals Real Reason Why He Picked Floyd Mayweather Over Manny Pacquiao

Published 03/09/2023, 1:45 PM EST

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Former world champions Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were two of the greatest boxers of their generations. The two greats carried the sport for over 20 years as they cemented their legacy as the best fighters of all time. Moreover, the two would even lock horns back in 2015 in what was dubbed as ‘The Fight Of The Century’ with Money emerging victorious over his rival.

However, many feel that the two did not compete in the ring during their prime which might have given fans a different result. Despite this, lightweight contender Ryan Garcia thinks that ‘TBE’ is a better fighter than Pac-Man. He also gave us his reasoning as to why he preferred Mayweather.

Ryan Garcia picks Floyd Mayweather over Manny Pacquiao

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In a recent appearance on UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett’s podcast, Garcia was asked who he would choose between Pacquiao and Mayweather. The 24-year-old revealed that he preferred Mayweather because of his style. According to Garcia, Pacquiao was not an attacking boxer and relied on his opponents to throw first so he could counter it. However, Mayweather’s style was different from this as he did not need others to make him engage.

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I was thinking Mayweather would win just because of his style. Pacquiao was more of a, he needed somebody to fight yeah because he’s in and out so he needs like a fighter that’s trynna fight with him but when the guys sitting back waiting for one counter. It’s gonna be hard” said Garcia.

It seems that Garcia thinks that ‘Money’ would beat Pac-Man even if the two fought in their prime. However, we have seen the two compete once with Mayweather proving that he can beat the Filipino legend. Now, if Garcia wants to become great like the two legends he needs to come up on top against Davis in their upcoming fight.

Garcia praises Mayweather ahead of Gervonta Davis fight

Later in the podcast, Garcia also praised ‘Tank’s former mentor claiming that Mayweather was a great boxer. He also added that the criticism against him for cherry-picking opponents and running away from big fights was unsubstantiated.

I just thought his boxing was really good, no matter what. Even when he fought Canelo and all these other fights where he was in his prime. I don’t even think he runs that much.” he added.

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USA Today via Reuters

KingRy certainly has Mayweather in his good books which should not be too surprising. Mayweather has not only been one of the best boxers but also changed the way the sport is managed and a blueprint for modern boxers.

Moreover, as a boxer, Garcia knows how good the 50-0 champion was despite people throwing shade at his legacy.

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Watch This Story: All About Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis

What did you think about Garcia picking Mayweather over Pacquiao? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Sahil Sood

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Sahil Sood is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, and holds a keen interest in the 'sweet science'. His journey towards following boxing began when he first saw the highlights of Mike Tyson as a teenager, and then closely followed the rise of Floyd Mayweather.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha