Manny Pacquiao's name is being brought up again regarding a superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. following his unanimous decision win over Marcos Maidana, but Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach recently called someone else out--Danny "Swift" Garcia.
"My first choice for Manny's next fight is Danny Garcia. I know it's out there," Roach said.
Garcia, the undefeated WBC and WBA junior welterweight champion appeared on the cusp of boxing superstardom after upsetting Lucas Matthysse last September to retain his belts, but has lost momentum despite two wins in 2014.
Garcia won a disputed split decision vs. Mauricio Herrera in Puerto Rico in March, and followed it up with a vicious knockout over Rod Salka in Brooklyn in August. Despite the two victories, neither opponent had the cache of Matthysse, and Salka in particular was derided as a poor choice of opponent.
Garcia was called out for a rematch by Matthysse following the latter's knockout win over Roberto Ortiz earlier this month; while that rematch would generate big interest Garcia insisted after the Mayweather fight, "I'm looking for bigger fights than him."
While his spotless record might make him a dark horse to move up in weight and challenge Mayweather, he may need to bring his profile up more to warrant that big of a fight. Pacquiao, in fighting Chris Algieri in November, seems more willing to face lower-profile opponents. He also is more willing to drop weight classes, which would be a benefit to Garcia who has never fought above 140 lbs.
"I think that's a great fight for me, Manny Pacquiao," Garcia said. "I'm bigger than him, I'm strong. I'm a good counter puncher. I'm in my prime. And I'll say this, be careful what you wish for."
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