Having previously sparred both Floyd Mayweather and Ryan Garcia, super-welterweight contender Giovani Santillan has considered how their potential showdown might unfold.
This past weekend, Mayweather announced on social media that, before facing Garcia, he will enter an exhibition match with Australia’s Matty Floyd on December 19.
According to him, the non-competitive bout is set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, yet it remains to be seen whether the event will actually take place.
Equally, the 49-year-old is by no means a confirmed opponent for Garcia, who retained his WBC world welterweight title with a second-round stoppage of Conor Benn in September.
Since then, the 28-year-old has entertained a professional bout with Mayweather, possibly for February, while also expressing his interest in facing WBA champion Teofimo Lopez early next year.
If it does end up being a bizarre clash with Mayweather, though, then former world title challenger Santillan has told ESNEWS that he will be favouring Garcia.
“I think Ryan [has the faster hands]. He has a really fast left hook and, when I was sparring Floyd, he had a really fast right hand.
“Ryan hits harder. Floyd [has the better defence]. For me, it was harder to spar Ryan Garcia, because he has that fast left hook.
“I think Ryan [beats Mayweather] because he’s been more active, and Floyd just hasn’t been active. I find it hard to imagine how he would win that fight.
“If he was in his prime, then I would say Floyd.”
Santillan sparred Mayweather ahead of the Hall of Famer’s unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in 2015, while his behind-closed-doors rounds with Garcia came around five years later.
