Top trainer Robert Garcia believes Shakur Stevenson would be making a mistake if he faces Manny Pacquiao, who happens to be nearly two decades older than the American.
As per several reports, the pair could be set to collide on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, which is expected to take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.
Naturally, this news has been met with a largely negative response, as many were hoping that Stevenson would be entering a more competitive fight – on paper, at least – following his dominant points win over Teofimo Lopez.
By dethroning his fellow American in January, the slick southpaw became a four-division world champion and cemented himself as a pound-for-pound star.
The same, of course, could once be said about Pacquiao, only the 47-year-old is now far removed from his prime and could barely be considered an active fighter.
In fact, his last outing resulted in a competitive draw with Mario Barrios, with the Filipino ending a near four-year layoff and almost claiming the WBC welterweight title in July 2025.
Against Stevenson, however, coach Garcia has told ProBox TV that Pacquiao is unlikely to enjoy anywhere near as much success.
“Shakur is so good, so talented – pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world at this moment right now.
“I think he needs to show that to the world – not by facing Manny Pacquiao, who is close to 50 [years old]. I could be wrong but I think he’s already a grandpa.
“Shakur is just so talented – there’s bigger challenges for him in his division. Or if he decides to move up or move down [in weight], there’s big challenges for him that we, as fans and boxing people, would rather see [him take on].”
With Stevenson holding the WBO title at 140lbs, the likes of WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell and the Garcia-trained Raymond Muratalla would surely make for more acceptable opponents than Pacquiao.
