Mikey Garcia Talks More Pacman, Gamboa & A Little About Burgos

You probably know WBO junior lightweight world titlist Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 Kos) is scheduled to face Tijuana’s Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20 Kos) on Jan. 25, at Madison Square Garden Theater. HBO will televise the world title challenge.

The Moreno Valley resident, who moved there several years ago from Oxnard, traveled 100 miles north to set up the final weeks of training camp in his old haunts. With no other major fights on his brother Robert Garcia’s agenda, it would seem to be easier to have preparation in the Riverside area. But it’s not a major concern.

During the media day held in Oxnard, most of the questioning focused on Garcia’s possible future match up with Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Tons of questioning regarded the junior lightweight jumping up to junior welterweight or welterweight to meet the seven division world champion from the Philippines.

“I was his sparring partner for several weeks. Three or four weeks. He was very quick, very fast I was more concerned with his speed than his strength,” said Garcia, 26, about a sparring session with Pacquiao in 2006. “I did pretty well. I don’t know if he remembers the sparring session. I never beat him up, but he never beat me up either. It was just a very good sparring session at Wild Card.”

Garcia added that it would not be this year but next year if the fight with Pacman was made. He cited a need to build more muscle and weight plus maintain the speed, and a need for three or four more fights.

Another opponent whose name popped up was Cuba’s Yuri Gamboa, who tweeted acidic taunts and declarations to Garcia recently.

“If his (Gamboa) promoter can’t get the fight he has to do something to get the fight himself,” said Garcia with a chuckle, regarding Gamboa’s attempts to lure a title fight. “If it happens it makes for a better fight. More expectations. You all remember Ricardo Mayorga.”

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/17857-mikey-garcia-talks-more