By Sam Brookes

Copyright independent

Ryan Garcia believes Manny Pacquiao will become a world champion again if he faces WBA welterweight king Rolly Romero next.

Pacquiao narrowly missed out on winning a world title in July after he returned from a four-year layoff to draw with WBC champion, Mario Barrios.

He has announced he will be fighting again on 24 January in Las Vegas, and Romero is expected to be his opponent.

Garcia suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Romero in May as he was dropped in the second round before losing on points. However, he still feels Pacquiao has what it takes to overcome Romero and get his hands on championship gold once more.

Speaking on Inside The Ring, Garcia said: “Rollies is very awkward, and he has a lot of power. Do I still think [Pacquiao] wins? 100 per cent.”

Pacquiao currently holds the record as the oldest men’s welterweight champion in boxing history after he beat Keith Thurman in 2019 to claim the WBA title at the age of 40.

He could beat his own record against Romero, with the fight potentially taking place a month after he turns 47.

But Romero is unlikely to be a pushover, especially off the back of his career-best win over Garcia.

That fight was for the WBA (Regular) belt, but Romero was later elevated to full champion after Jaron Ennis vacated his title to move up to 154lb.

Romero has won 17 of his 19 professional bouts, finishing 13 of his opponents inside the distance.

He has also tasted defeat twice, losing by knockout to Gervonta Davis in 2022 and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz last year.

However, he has bounced back with two straight wins since that Cruz loss and is now in line for the biggest fight of his career against Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, who has won world titles in eight separate weight divisions, is due to confirm his next opponent in the coming days, with Romero emerging as the clear frontrunner to be in the opposite corner in January.

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