Former IBF welterweight champion Mikey Garcia claims a Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor McGregor crossover attraction will not happen until "Pac-Man" faces him first.
McGregor, who stepped into the boxing ring once before in 2017 and lost to Floyd Mayweather, has been in the middle of a public spat with UFC president Dana White and claims he will put the red gloves back on to battle Pacquiao next year.
However, the Irishman has also recently been reaching out to Dustin Poirier to pitch an MMA exhibition in Dublin to raise money for charity.
Meanwhile Garcia, who last fought in a unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas on Feb. 29 to bounce back from losing to Errol Spence Jr. in his only professional defeat so far, claims it is he who will face the Filipino legend next.
“I saw the tweets by McGregor," said Garcia in an interview with FightHype. "I haven’t seen some from Pacquiao [directly]. Are there any responses from Pacquiao yet, or no?
“I’ve only seen what McGregor tweeted out, that his next fight is Manny Pacquiao in the Middle East.
“Well, I think he might be right, he might be right, I’m pretty confident his next fight is Manny Pacquiao.
“But Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is not with Conor McGregor. Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is with me. McGregor still has to take a number.
“McGregor’s next fight might be most likely Manny Pacquiao. But before that Manny Pacquiao has to fight me first — and that’s 100 percent. That’s gonna happen. Watch.”
Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach had recently revealed that the 41-year-old will retire in 2022 to concentrate on his political career in his home country, but hopes to take on two fights in 2021 before calling it a day. Garcia vs. Pacquiao followed by a boxing-MMA crossover spectacle could fit those plans.