Robert Garcia Chat: Mikey Mulling TR Deal, Rios Wants Marquez

SUNDAY AFTERNON UPDATE: Trainer/brother Robert Garcia said Team Mikey Garcia would be open to fighting Terence Crawford, the pugilistic pride of Nebraska, for his first fight back after more than a year off. Team Crawford responded with a hearty thumbs up.

Take note, Top Rank and HBO.

“You think Mikey wants to take the fight?” asked Crawford trainer/advisor Brian McIntyre. “Push that fight, it’s easy work for us.”

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Ace trainer Robert Garcia is like all of us, wondering if #MayPac is going to come off.

The Cali based tutor told me on Friday he thinks it will occur, and likes Floyd to handle Pacman, but that Pac has power and speed and “throws twice as many punches.”

Garcia had his guy Marcos Maidana in twice with Floyd, and was up close when Brandon Rios saw Manny’s many facets in Macau.

Garcia, the amiable teacher who handles lil bro Mikey, told me he isn’t sure what the holdup on the fight is, and he’s heard from different people on who and what the impediment might be. Of this he’s pretty sure, MayPac would not feature any knockout…so he could see a deal including plans to do a trilogy. Hey, why not…as long as people are sitting down to hash one out, why not go the extra yard and plan further into the future? “If it happens, I see Mayweather getting the decision,” he told me.

Now, on to other more tangible things. Brother Mikey, he said, has been talking to promoter Top Rank and will mull over whether to get back to business with them over the weekend, with an answer likely coming Monday. Big bro would like to see Mikey make up for lost time–he last fought in January 2014–and fight three times this year. He’ll campaign at 140, but could do 135 for a crown, RG said. A fight against Terence Crawford, going to 140 from 135, would be alluring, he said, even the first one back after Mikey’s hiatus. “How Crawford reacts to being hit by someone like Mikey is stilla question mark,” RG said.

Ideally, for Rios’ next, he would tangle with Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican legend who is assessing his fighting future because of injuries. A bad knee hampers his mobility and ability to train; JMM last fought in may 2014.

Tim Bradley is a possibility for Rios and “he has the perfect style, because he exchanges. We’d love that.” Plus, both men are Top Rank affiliates..

Also, a fight with Miguel Cotto is something they’ve pondered, but we both agreed that is a tall hill to climb, as Cotto is a legit 154 now, and probably a bit too bulky for Brandon. “That would be a lot of money, and a helluva fight, though,” the trainer said. “It would be a great war. But Marquez would be out first choice.”

His man Maidana is still in chill mode, as he’s getting married in April, so an August or September bout makes sense, RG stated.

We also yapped about the Haymon takeover, all the new platforms, which means more dates for fighters. “I’d like more guys with Haymon,” Garcia told me, and we both agreed we’d like to see the ventures succeed, for the good of the sport.

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