Welcome to another Thursday edition of Magno's Bulging Mail Sack, the boxing mail bag column that shoots loads of decency into the messy bed hair of boxing ignorance. This week, we have an especially bulging sack, with questions/comments regarding Ryan Garcia, Pacquiao-KingRy, Canelo, Berchelt-Valdez, and more.
Perspective on Ryan Garcia and Pacquiao-Garcia
Hey Paul, as I’ve told you before I enjoy your work. This is my first time writing for the sack so let’s get right into it!
Ryan Garcia... where do we start? Lmao. This is ridiculous. The kid clearly was clout-chasing Tank. His win vs. "C" level Campbell didn’t impress me at all. He got dropped by a pillow puncher. His footwork is sloppy, he throws wide looping punches and his defense is horrible. Some say he showed heart when he got up from the knockdown but so what! This is boxing. What was he supposed to do, cry in Canelo's lap? It’s a fight-- get up and fight. I mean any one with an objective brain can see he’s not ready for Tank. Oscar may be a cross-dresser but he’s not an idiot. Tank obliterates Ryan inside 7 in my opinion.
But, geez, all that “Tank, if you don’t fight me everyone will know you ducked me? I’ll stop Tank inside 2 rounds.” What a joke. Tank sells more and makes more money than any lightweight and after Ryan ran from Haney (who he is a mando for and Haney has a belt) he’s now running from Tank.
The huge Ryan Garcia popularity when it comes to boxing business is overblown. Sure, he has millions of 12-year-old IG followers, but that doesn’t translate to boxing business. Those 12-year-olds don’t pay for fights and their asses definitely aren’t in the seats when he fights. If this was the case he would sell more than Tank and get paid more. But he’s significantly behind in both categories. It amazes me how the media (and we know why) dismisses Tank as a rising star that the numbers clearly show he is. I guess it’s an easier pill to swallow getting beat up by Pac rather than your contemporary in Tank, who you are in direct competition with.
Let’s get to Manny. I haven’t heard him accept the challenge yet, but Manny why would you fight a relatively green 22-year-old coming up two weight classes without a belt? Spence and Crawford are in your same division with belts. Spence is doing exactly what he said from the jump. Clean out his side of the street than move to Crawford. Manny is the last straw to this. If he wants to fight Ryan, cool so be it. But he has to drop the belt or be stripped. He’s holding it hostage and we want to see undisputed!
-- Yungwes
Hey Yungwes.
It's kind of clear what Garcia is doing with this orgy of talk, talk, talk since the Campbell fight. It's pure public relations spin. Even if he's not doing it intentionally, the result is the same-- the creation of headline fodder and perpetual buzz. It's not a bad instinct to have for a fighter, but he has to resist the urge to go full-on 22-year-old and pump so much bull shit out there that he becomes something of a joke. With the Tank Davis bluster and now the Pacquiao stuff, he runs that risk. If he puts so much buzz out there and doesn't deliver, fight fans will just eventually tune him out.
As a fighter, I agree, he's not ready for either Davis or Pacquiao. He'd get crushed by both and Golden Boy has to know that as well. The only reason for making either fight is if they feel they may lose Garcia down the road and are willing to cash out on him now. We're just being realistic here. He's got some serious holes in his game and is still very much a work in progress. He's got great tools and potential, but he's nowhere near being an elite right now. Luke Campbell represented a safe step up against a solid guy, who, like I said before, would push, but not too hard.
Garcia's appeal is real, though. He's got charisma and a large following. Golden Boy, however, is showing itself incapable of converting that teen social media base into actual boxing stardom. They went from showcasing him on social media to ten million-plus to hiding him away from the world behind the DAZN pay wall for crusty, jaded, old(ish) boxing fans to watch. As big as he is now and as big as he may be down the line, he could be so much bigger if these people knew how to convert the mainstream infatuation into boxing consumers.
And, yeah, it's criminal how little recognition Gervonta Davis gets for being the draw that he is.
As for Manny...He must be salivating at Garcia wanting to fight him. This is a win-win for him-- a "big" fight and an easy fight, all in one. Bigger and easier than a Mikey Garcia fight and infinitely more winnable than a bout with either Spence or Crawford. If any of this Ryan Garcia stuff is real, Manny probably has pen in hand already, primed to jump at any decent contract tossed his way. I don't think he cares one bit about that title belt of his, mostly because he knows the WBA absolutely wouldn't dare to strip him.
KingRy Disappointment, Berchelt-Valdez
Hey Paul
By this time, Garcia-Pacquiao is probably now officially an exhibition fight. Turns out Ryan does not walk the talk. He spent lots of voice on calling Tank out and now he moves him aside. I would not blame Tank if he does not want to fight him in the future.
As for the fight, not sure what kind of rules it will be bound to, but if 3/4 of the Pac that beat the pony tail guy shows for fight night it is bye-bye for Ryan.
Smart move by GBP, though. Make the most available money from your assets. It seems they need as much as they can right now.
Wanted to ask you about the Valdez vs. Berchelt fight. On paper, it seems it is all Berchelt for this fight, but I have a hunch on this that Valdez will catch Berchelt when opening up. And seeing how Valdez is more explosive, he might be able to catch him... My humble opinion.
Best regards.
-- Miguel
Hey Miguel.
As of this writing, we know nothing of any rules or conditions for the exhibition that may or may not be happening. Check out my article from Tuesday, "A Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia Exhibition Could Be A Hot Mess For Boxing," for my take on why something like this would be disastrous for the sport.
You might be right on Berchelt-Valdez. Honestly, I think Berchelt is prime for the taking and while I don't fancy Valdez's style as the ideal one to pull him off the top, it's not unreasonable to think he could do it.
Canelo: Flexing or Vexing?
How's the New Year treating you? Love your work brother. Keep it coming.....
What sense does it make for Canelo to stay making fights on DAZN with Matchroom as the promoter?
Is it a slap in the face to GBP and Oscar? He took DAZN and GBP to court. It appears that his beef was only with GBP. We know Oscar made the promise of the GGG trilogy in order to get the biggest deal in boxing history for Canelo. But DAZN played a part in the backdoor promise as well. They obviously still want the fight, and if Canelo makes the GGG fight. What would that say about Canelo?
-- Nail Rahman
Hey Nail.
It's clear that Canelo has had some bad blood brewing with Oscar De La Hoya for awhile. I always felt that his lawsuit was aimed more at gaining independence from Golden Boy than necessarily breaking free from DAZN. I can't really blame DAZN for their part in this triangle all that much because they were apparently promised a Golovkin fight by Golden Boy that Canelo hadn't signed off on. Their mistake was not working directly with the fighter as much as they should've, especially with so much money on the line. It's very possible that Canelo may eventually come around to making that Golovkin fight. To me, it'll just prove that Canelo is what he is-- a prizefighter shopping himself around for the best deal.
Truth
Hey Paul,
Just received my daily dose of your “Notes from the Boxing Underground”(4 BS Stories the Boxing Media likes to Tell).
In the Boxing World, false narratives often become regurgitated through the mouths of many. It’s truly reinvigorating & refreshing to hear a spoken truth. Even if it comes from one individual in opposition of the masses. The truth must always be “objective” not “subjective”.
Much respect Sir! Thanks for being an honest pick - not a part of the allotted bag of tricks.
Be well,
-- O
Hey O.
Thanks for the kind words and the support. All I can do is keep putting out what I feel is truth and perspective. Hopefully, some of it takes root in this rotten garden of boxing media.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.