MANNY PACQUIAO has turned his attention to fighting Ryan Garcia after Conor McGregor suffered defeat at UFC 257.
McGregor revealed heading into his rematch against Dustin Poirier that talks to fight Pacquiao were intensifying.
So much so that he claimed a contract was being drawn up with the plan to fight this year.
But, that has been all but KO’d after Poirier avenged his 2014 loss and stopped McGregor himself.
According to The Athletic, Pacquiao, 42, is now in preliminary discussions with Ryan Garcia, 22.
Despite the 20-year age gap, WBA welterweight champion PacMan fights a stone above lightweight contender Garcia.
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It is shades of Pacquiao’s 2009 fight with Oscar De La Hoya, when he moved up from lightweight to light-middleweight, winning emphatically.
Garcia has never fought above 135lb and appeared on course to agreeing a deal with rival Gervonta Davis, 26.
But in a sudden turn of events, the American – who is promoted by De La Hoya – revealed he had a bigger bout in the pipeline.
Pacquiao had wished McGregor well, tweeting: “Good luck tonight Conor! Let’s make 2021 the best year ever for fight fans.”
But he later congratulated Poirier, 32, for upsetting the odds in Abu Dhabi.
It leaves McGregor questioning his immediate fighting future, with a boxing return against Pacquiao now shelved.
He said: “I always did want to focus on my MMA career, but I’m also open, we’ll see what happens.
“I don’t know what will happen, that Manny fight was happening, it was as good as done.”
